Challenges Facing AIDS Activism in America :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Challenges Facing AIDS Activism in America Even before HIV/AIDS first showed up in the United States in 1980-1981, homosexuals were greatly stigmatized within American society. The homophobia that already existed was only exacerbated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS during the first few years of the epidemic were homosexual males (so much so in fact that AIDS was originally called the "Gay-Related Immuno Deficiency"). The US male homosexual population found itself confronted with a national epidemic that was receiving zero national attention. The political activism of the gay male population in the 1980s and early 1990s made significant progress towards educating American society about limiting the risk of disease transmission through safe-sex practices and clean-needle exchanges, combating discrimination of people with AIDS (PWAs) and homosexuals, and ensuring that adequate health care was provided for PWAs. But now it seems that the fight against AIDS is right back where it began. Homosexuals no longer account for the highest rate of new HIV/AIDS infections, and as a result, the urgency of their political activism has subsided. The population in which the vast majority of new HIV/AIDS infections occurs is the poor minority population, a highly stigmatized sector of American society. Once again, the AIDS epidemic is receiving zero national attention because those most affected are not a part of the national dialogue. Whereas male homosexuals found themselves in positions of power and wealth in the first decade of the epidemic, this "new face" of AIDS has little in terms of financial and political resources. It is up to other AIDS activists to lend their voice and political weight to advocate for the welfare of these impoverished minorities. Even before AIDS surfaced the US gay male population had experience in grass-roots political activism from the sexual revolution of the 1970s, and just as the first rumors of a "gay cancer" were circulating in San Francisco and New York, the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) was formed in January 1982 to "provide compassionate care to New Yorkers with AIDS, educate to keep people healthy, and advocate for fair and effective public policies" (GMHC 1). AIDS first came into the public eye in 1985 when Rock Hudson, a famous 1960s Hollywood actor, publicly admitted to having AIDS and subsequently died later that year. But after five years of unsuccessful lobbying, AIDS was still perceived as a gay men's health crisis and not an american (or international) health crisis.