Deb Cookingham and Hugh EppingSilver City, NM, 12/17/23—At the LGBTQ+ and allies Thanksgiving celebration dinner held on November 19, PFLAG Silver City presented Hugh Epping with the Ally of the Year award. Epping is a long-time ally to the LGBTQ+ community and is a member of both PFLAG Silver City and PFLAG Sturgeon Bay/Door County, Wisconsin.
Around 1978, Epping started working at the Open Door Clinic (ODC) shortly after it was founded. ODC, located in a suburb of Chicago, is a walk-in medical provider for sexually transmitted infections. He became director about the time AIDS came along when it was still known as GRIDS (Gay Related Immuno Deficiency Syndrome). In addition to notifying sexual partners of patients, ODC provided educational presentations to junior highs, high schools, colleges, churches, civic organizations and governmental bodies. When HIV/AIDS was first written about in the June 5, 1981 edition of the Center for Disease Control’s publication with the suspicion that the infection was transmitted sexually, the board of directors of ODC immediately incorporated HIV/AIDS education into their presentations. ODC was one of the first testing sites in Illinois.
ODC started a case management service for their patients. This was done with the help of a local Rotary Club. The clinic also provided cutting edge medical care implemented after following the state guidelines of making a referral after a patient tested positive for HIV. However, the patient follow-through was terrible. So the ODC decided to turn that around and tell the patient they had an appointment at the clinic tomorrow. They all showed up.
Epping has said, “I made many good and lasting friendships that I treasure due to my work at ODC. The local PFLAG chapters in the Chicago area were an important resource for our staff, for our clients and for their families. I can not imagine participating in the fight against HIV/AIDS without the resources that PFLAG provided and provides unquestioningly and willingly.”
Epping has continued his support of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies here in Silver City. He has been instrumental in bringing portions of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt to Silver City several times. Damie Nelson, outgoing president of PFLAG Silver City said “As someone who has lost a family member to AIDS, I am grateful to Hugh for bringing the quilt here. The quilt is a powerful testament of love overcoming tragedy.”
PFLAG is the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. Learn more at pflag.org or by calling PFLAG Silver City at 575-590-8797 or going to pflagsilver.org .