December 1 is World AIDS Day, and several vigils and protests are planned in D.C. today and through the weekend to mark the occasion.

In the wake of the recent report by the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration calling the HIV infection rate in the city “a modern epidemic,” over 40 protesters are planning to drape themselves in red tape and stage a sit-in on the White House sidewalk by Lafayette Square at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. The web site Fight HIV in D.C. indicates the protesters, which include members of local HIV/AIDS advocacy organization DC Fights Back, are planning on risking arrest in an attempt to draw attention to the government bureaucracy they say is “interfering with an effective response to HIV, locally, nationally, and globally.” In addition to the red tape, some demonstrators plan to dress as teachers and doctors, while others will wear shirts identifying them as people living with or at risk for HIV.

The Post details some of the other events planned in Washington to mark World AIDS Day. The Whitman-Walker Clinic, La Clinica del Pueblo and the mobile van of the Women’s Collective parked at North Capitol and K streets NE are all offering free HIV tests.