Dua Lipa danced the night away at The Abbey to raise awareness for HIV prevention.
The "Houdini" singer was the surprise headliner Thursday of a launch party for National PrEP Day, an inaugural event thrown by the telemedicine company Mistr at the famous West Hollywood gay bar. Lipa had just wrapped the Los Angeles arm of her Radical Optimism Tour the night prior.
Onstage, Lipa was flanked by RuPaul's Drag Race royalty Symone, Aquaria, Shea Couleé, Trinity the Tuck, and Plastique Tiara, who had opened for her with lip-synchs of her hits. Lipa called each one by name at the end of her set.
Lipa's performance was a capstone of the National PrEP Day, a campaign that encourages 10,000 people to sign up for the HIV-prevention medication PrEP in the next 10 days. Stated Mistr CEO Tristan Schukraft, who is also The Abbey's owner, in an oped for Out, "We know how to end new HIV transmissions in the United States. The tools exist. The infrastructure exists. What remains is commitment. National PrEP Day is our reminder to choose it, and to act today." Mistr offers PrEP — as well as Doxy PEP, an antibiotic treatment to prevent other STIs — free of charge.
“I think there is a lot of stigma around [HIV and sexually transmitted infections],” Lipa told Rolling Stone’s Tomás Mier backstage after her performance. “And I think if we can de-stigmatize what it means to get the right healthcare for HIV… I want to believe that there is hope that it can be completely eradicated.”
The pop star continued, “I think sex should be fun, and it should be safe. With intimacy, there’s safety, there’s a connection. (…) It is so important to take care of ourselves. I think that in itself is very sexy.”
The Abbey event was hosted by Bob the Drag Queen, and DJ sets from Diplo and Joey with the Mustache kept attendees dancing until 2 a.m. The star-studded celebration was also attended by Cardi B, Nene Leakes, Matt Bomer, Cooper Koch, Colton Haynes, Kim Petras, Omar Apollo, Tom Daley, Colton Underwood, David Furnish, Jake Wesley Rogers, Alyssa Edwards, Bianca Del Rio, and Monét X Change.
Watch Lipa perform some of her set ahead.
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