This was not an exaggeration. The government ignored the issue of HIV/AIDS for years before anything was done. Gay and Queer communities had to form their own clinics because no government agencies cared for them. Back then, being diagnosed was equivalent to a death sentence or extreme debt and poor quality of life/a significantly shortened lifespan.
Things got so desperate that people literally had “Die-Ins”— in contemporary usage this refers to masses of people simulating death in order to protest something (like the War in Iraq). In this case, however, fatally sick people would literally lie down in public places and protest with what little energy they had left until they died. There is some footage of a church Die-In in the documentary Beyond Stonewall. The middle image here of that person’s jacket is not an extreme political statement; it’s what people had to do because they had no other options.
The horror of the AIDS epidemic gives me chills. It was a truly despicable and inhumane period of inaction.
To learn more about the politics behind the 80s AIDS epidemic, check out And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts.
Ok, this? This is so sickening, I just need to share it…
A while back I read the article about the man who they believe has been cured of AIDS. This is a big deal. I am so excited about this, it’s incredible. So I’ve been telling everyone who will listen all about it, and how maybe soon they will find a cure for everyone. While I was working I told a woman coming through my line and her response was - and I quote - “Oh, well I would rather see them find a cure for cancer. Everyone knows someone who has had cancer!”
Bitch, no. Just shut the fuck up. People still look the other way and try to pretend aids and HIV aren’t a problem. Like it’s not really a big deal.
As of 2010, approximately 34 million people have HIV globally.[5] Of these, approximately 16.8 million are women and 3.4 million are less than 15 years old.[5]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS
Get real people. This isn’t a GAY disease or an AFRICAN disease, it doesn’t only happen in poor countries or wastelands. It’s not God’s judgment on the wicked. IT IS A PANDEMIC. Let’s not play the pity game and decide which disease is worse and why, or who deserves to be cured first. This isn’t about who you think should get to live the longest! Yeah, cancer is bad. No one ever said it wasn’t. AIDS IS ALSO PRETTY MUCH THE WORST. I just pray they find a cure.
