ACT UP

They Did NOT Die in Vain

by Lisa Diane
Sat, 04/24/2010 - 2:27pm

I too was moved by the documentary "Sex in an Epidemic" by Jean Carlomusto. I have used the phrase "no glove no love" over and over and over again. To see the origins of the phrase, unfurled in banners at the baseball game brought new meaning to the use of the word "glove". I watch the documentary in the first showing and then moved to the second showing to watch it again. Act up indeed acted up. There was nothing polite about it. People were dying and being ignored by our government. Ms. Manners had no place in the room. Screaming and shouting, marching and protesting, lying in the streets, anything was accepted if it got the attention of anyone, someone, who could respond to this epidemic that left thousands dead before the first tentative responses. Image after image of advocates and health educators were shown who died from AIDS. The sorrow in the room was evident, as heard by the muffled sobs and painful commentary of those who lived through the early days. Those who have been silent, unable to tell their stories, left permanently marked from caring for so many who died - in their arms. Those who died were lovingly nutured until death by an army of caretakers who took to the streets to shout out their anguish and fear. But there were also many who died alone, left untouched by friends, families and health care workers who were afraid of the unknown disease.

One movie goer lamented that they had died in vain. He felt nothing had changed. Many, many in the room were horrified that he spoke those words. Every warrior who died paved the way for the next, and to even utter the words "in vain" might mean that everything done in the past was for naught. That is not true.  read more »

The Denver Principles

by Jeanne Bergman
Fri, 04/23/2010 - 11:25am

ACT UP's "Denver Principles" have come up several times at the HRCF. Many activists new to the struggle aren't familiar with this fundamental and visionary expression of the rights of people living with HIV and the role of allies, and the rest of us can always stand to be reminded of what matters.  Here they are.

THE DENVER PRINCIPLES (1983) (Statement from the advisory committee of the People with AIDS)

We condemn attempts to label us as "victims," a term which implies defeat, and we are only occasionally "patients," a term which implies passivity, helplessness, and dependence upon the care of others. We are "People With AIDS."

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL PEOPLE

1. Support us in our struggle against those who would fire us from our jobs, evict us from our homes, refuse to touch us or separate us from our loved ones, our community or our peers, since available evidence does not support the view that AIDS can be spread by casual, social contact.

2. Not scapegoat people with AIDS, blame us for the epidemic or generalize about our lifestyles.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS

1. Form caucuses to choose their own representatives, to deal with the media, to choose their own agenda and to plan their own strategies.

2.
Be involved at every level of decision-making and specifically serve on the boards of directors of provider organizations.

3. Be included in all AIDS forums with equal credibility as other participants, to share their own experiences and knowledge.

4. Substitute low-risk sexual behaviors for those which could endanger themselves or their partners; we feel people with AIDS have an ethical responsibility to inform their potential sexual partners of their health status.

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS  read more »

Embracing the Legacy of Collective Activism

by Hadiyah
Fri, 04/23/2010 - 4:03am

Where do I start?  I’m overwhelmed by all that I’ve seen and heard from the attendees at this forum.   I’ll start with the very last session I attended – a viewing of the documentary film entitled “Sex in an Epidemic” by Jean Carlomusto.  “Sex in the Epidemic” was an incredibly moving depiction of the activist history of the HIV/AIDS movement.  As I am typing HIV/AIDS… I am almost compelled to type – AIDS/HIV movement.  “Sex in an Epidemic” captured the pain, confusion frustration, and death that was associated with an illness that today can be “managed” (for lack of a better word) with a pill.  In some cases having HIV provides access to doctors, housing, specialized welfare, free legal services, syringe exchange - just to mention a few.

When this disease surfaced – people with AIDS got nothing.  What people with AIDS have today, the benefits – the care and access – (in some places) are due largely to the many gay white men and their allies that fought for explanations, accountability, and healthcare. Because of what they fought for, many people are able to manage HIV so that it never becomes AIDS, because of what gay white men and their allies demanded, many now have the luxury, if I may be completely honest, of living with HIV and not dying from AIDS.

I would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to gay white men and their allies.  THANK YOU for fighting, demanding, standing up for what was right.  read more »
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