AIDS in America

HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LET DOWN ITS CITIZENS–AND HOW COMMUNITIES STEPPED UP IN ITS PLACE Written by Maya Greenberg, New Members Director Graphic by Annika Ide, Art Director

The ClubHouse was raucous, popular and the center of D.C. nightlife in the 1970s and ‘80s.1 With lines wrapped around the block, this nightclub drew in the same people week after week. However, in the early ‘80s, the club’s manager noticed that more and more regulars stopped showing up.2 Though he didn’t know it at the time, this observation was one of the first visible signs of the AIDS epidemic hitting D.C. Soon, AIDS was spreading across the nation, ushering in an era of American history defined by the hands-on involvement of communities mitigating the epidemic.

While communities jumped into action as they watched their members dying, the federal government remained unresponsive and uncooperative. Public health agencies were already suffering in the early 1980s due to budget cuts made by the Reagan administration.3 The administration targeted the fight against AIDS in particular, as they stopped Congress from appropriating funds for AIDS-related programs and attempted to interfere with the CDC’s prevention campaigns.4

¹ Abdallah Fayyad, “The LGBTQ Health Clinic That Faced a Dark Truth About the AIDS Crisis,” The Atlantic, July 22, 2019. ² Ibid. ³ Tasleem J. Padamsee, “Fight an Epidemic in Political Context: Thirty-Five Years of HIV/AIDS Policy Making in the United States,” Oxford Academic, Dec. 28, 2018. ⁴ Ibid. Nothing summed up the federal response more than when President Ronald Reagan’s press secretary openly joked that AIDS was the “gay plague.”5 The disease was seen predominantly as a threat to gay men and was often used as a way to further marginalize already oppressed groups. Starting with Reagan and upheld by Bill Clinton (later to be reinstated under Barack Obama), bans were placed on the use of federal funds for needle exchange programs. The claim was that these programs would increase drug use, and while this was unsubstantiated, the effect the ban had on the public health of gay and black communities was real.6 This stigma is still obvious today. Even though restrictions have been loosened due to the high demand for blood and plasma during the COVID-19 pandemic, many clinics will still turn down gay and bisexual donors who have had sex within three months leading up to the donation.

As quickly as the Reagan administration decided that AIDS and HIV were not its problems, communities took the epidemic head-on. Activist and psychiatrist Dr. Jesse Peel told CNN that for a lot of gay men living in big

⁵ German, Lopez, “The Reagan administration’s unbelievable response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Vox, December 1, 2016 ⁶ Abdallah Fayyad, “The LGBTQ Health Clinic That Faced a Dark Truth About the AIDS Crisis,” The Atlantic, July 22, 2019. cities, the ‘70s were initially all about sex, drugs and rock n’roll.7 But this attitude quickly shifted after the spread of AIDS, and LGBTQ+ communities were forced to band together and take care of one another in the wake of an apathetic government. In an almost immediate response to the outbreak in D.C., the ClubHouse supported their ill patrons by collecting money for rent and bills.8 Other organizations like the Whitman-Walker house used funding from the city to implement syringe exchange programs to slow the infection rate of injection-drug users.

Alongside grassroots organizers, artists and visionaries used their resources to try to reach the public. In an Atlanta theater in 1984, playwright and author Rebecca Ranson’s original play titled “Warren” debuted.9 Considered the first play about AIDS, its aim was to reach and educate a larger public demographic that may otherwise have very little contact with the virus and its effects. In 1989, the Atlanta-based publication company Nexus Press hosted America’s first art exhibition with AIDS as the focus. 10 These efforts made it clear that urban communities were doing whatever they could with limited re-

⁷ Jen Christiansen, “AIDs in the ‘80s: The rise of a new civil rights movement,” CNN, June 1, 2016. ⁸ Ibid. ⁹ Ibid. 10 Ibid.

sources to try to spread information and awareness about AIDS.

CNN dubbed this collective effort as “the rise of a new civil rights movement.”11 Unfortunately, this movement was formed out of absolute necessity. It came out of a time when even doctors were debating whether or not they had a moral obligation to treat patients with AIDS and individuals were shunned by their churches and families for having the disease. Polls taken in the late ‘80s showed that more than one in five Americans were more uncomfortable around gay friends and aquaintances, and over half of Americans believed it was an individual’s fault if they contracted AIDS.12 Furthermore, more than one in five Americans felt that those with the virus should be isolated entirely from society.

Eventually, celebrities began to come forward as advocates for individuals with AIDS, and public opinion shifted slightly. In the late 1980s, Princess Diana began advocacy work for HIV/ AIDS patients both in the United Kingdom and in America.13 During a time where nurses were reluctant to even serve food to AIDS patients, she broke

11 Ibid. 12 Justin McCarthy, “Gallup Vault: Fear and Anxiety During the 1980s AIDS Crisis,” Gallup, June 28, 2019. 13 Emma Dibdin, “The True Story Of Princess Diana's Groundbreaking AIDS Advocacy,” Elle, Dec. 6, 2020. ground by shaking hands with and hugging them. However, even celebrity status couldn’t protect those who were HIV positive from scrutiny. When Freddie Mercury announced that he was HIV positive and had AIDS, many activists were upset that he’d kept it a secret for so long and hadn’t advocated for other AIDS patients.14 Famous or not, the stigma surrounding AIDS made living with the illness an obstacle to everyday activities.

In the time since the onset of the epidemic, the fight against HIV and AIDS has come a long way in America. Treatments now exist to reduce HIV in affected people’s systems, often getting the virus under control within six months.15 The FDA has also approved a new drug called Descovy that serves as a preventative measure for individuals at risk for contracting HIV.16 Attitudes surrounding individuals with the virus have also seen some improvements. In 2010, the United States finally lifted the Reagan era ban on HIV-positive individuals entering the country,17 a ban

14 “Freddie Mercury’s AIDs Announcement Disappointed Activists,” Showbiz Cheatsheet, Aug. 17, 2021. 15 “HIV Treatment,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, May 20, 2021. 16 “FDA approves second drug to prevent HIV infection as part of ongoing efforts to end the HIV epidemic,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Oct. 3, 2019. 17 Steve Connor, “US lifts ban on foreigners with HIV imposed by Reagan,” Independent, Jan. 5, 2010. that Obama had described as “rooted in fear rather than fact.” Though these instances have been huge strides, they have not happened without resistance from the government and society. Although the epidemic is often only looked at in terms of sickness and death, it has led to a new generation of advocates who continue to make change possible.

As the fight against AIDS continues, there are small things that every person can do to make a difference. Support your local community centers, vote for politicians who will provide quality healthcare and, if you are sexually active, get tested regularly and disclose your status with any partners. Lastly, understand that AIDS continues to ravage other parts of the world. South Africa has the highest percentage of people suffering from the disease, and many of these individuals are sex workers, transgender women and drug users—creating an even steeper battle towards receiving just agency.18 If you or a loved one are living with a sexually transmitted disease, know that there are resources available and you should not be ashamed to seek them out. Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for more information. ■

18 Sara M. Allinder, “The World’s Largest HIV Epidemic in Crisis: HIV in South Africa,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 2, 2019.