Pride and Protest
The HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the United States in the early 1980s. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) was an unknown and mysterious disease that in 1981 seemed to target the gay community. Initially coined "gay-related immune deficiency" (or GRID) the fear surrounding HIV/AIDS was far reaching as few resources and limited information was available. It wasn't until 1982 that the CDC realized the infection wasn't limited to any single community.
The stigmatization of both LGBT individuals and HIV-positive individuals quickly grew and had negative impacts on those in need of care and resources. As a result, efforts from community organizations and advocates focused on the need for visibility and for health and public resources.
Since the 1980s and the begining of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, activists and advocates have fought for the rights of HIV positive individuals, LGBT individuals, and others effected by and at high risk of HIV/AIDS.
Learn more about the History of HIV in the United States.
According to this Baltimore Heritage article by Eli Pousson, John Stuban moved from New York to Baltimore in 1987 and in the same year, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was founded in New York City. In 1990 John Stuban brought the ACT UP style of activism to Baltimore, Maryland when he founded a local chapter. Baltimore ACT UP activists advocated for resources and visibility for the growing AIDS crisis by handing out condoms to students at the Baltimore School for the Arts, by staging protests and sit-ins at the city health department and other Baltimore City meetings, by picketing at Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's home, and delivering a coffin to City Hall, according to Stuban's Baltimore Sun obituary.
For more about John Stuban check out:
- This article from Baltimore Heritage:
Eli Pousson, “John Stuban at 911 Tyson Street,” Explore Baltimore Heritage, accessed 2021. - Read his obituary from the Baltimore Sun:
Selby, Holly. "John Stuban, AIDS Activist, dies." (1994 August 16). Baltimore Sun. - Learn more about ACT UP
Chase Brexton Health Services Inc. participated at the Pride March on Charles St. in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore in 1978, Chase Brexton began as a volunteer-run gay men’s health clinic. Their work expanded in the 1980s when they became one of the first clinics to prioritize the fight against HIV and AIDS. After seeing the needs of their community, the organization expanded their services.
Learn more on about their history on their website.
Directed by Sandra Elgear, Robyn Hutt, and David Meieran (Testing the Limits) from the Frameline studio, "Voices From the Front" was the first feature-length documenary about AIDS Activism in America. The film provides an up-close view of the emotional and political effects of community activism through the experiences of those directly engaged. It is a powerful distillation, in pictures and words, of events organized to change public consciousness, expose the failure of the health care system, and challenge government inaction and neglect concerning AIDS.
Learn more on the Frameline website.
The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated as the AIDS Memorial Quilt, was created as a memorial to the people who have died from AIDS-related causes. Each panel is 3 feet by 6 feet which is approximately the size of an average grave.
The purpose of the quilt was to raise awareness and raise funds for AIDS-related causes and organizations. The idea for the quilt was conceived in 1985. The Quilt was first displayed on October 11, 1987 on the National Mall in Washington, DC, as part of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. New panels of the quilt have been added over the years and it continues to grow. As of 2020 the quilt weights 54 tons and is the largest piece of community folk art in the world.
Since 2019, the Quilt has been San Francisco under the care of the National AIDS Memorial. The archives documenting the history of the AIDS Memorial Quilt are located in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Check out the 2019 recording of the announcement from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman John Lewis and view all 50,000 panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in an online exhibit: the Interactive AIDS Memorial Quilt