Change = Act Up

Despite the severity, the government stayed silent for the majority of the AIDS crisis. The United States government did not take it seriously, avoiding the situation as infection and death rates only continued to increase. As the LGBTQ+ community witnessed their loved ones pass, they were offered little to no support outside of their community; however, this did not stop them. AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power or Act Up shifted the narrative of the AIDS Crisis. The activism group, originally founded in New York City, was created on March 12, 1987, to bring attention and awareness to the epidemic. Act Up was more than a social movement as it became a version of government for the LGBTQ+ community, doing everything the government should have done. Act Up started out with only gay white men, but later on, lesbian women became very involved, especially queer women of color.

Act Up differs from other activist groups due to a shared commonality among members. Each member either had AIDs, knew someone who was dying of AIDS, or lost someone from AIDS; therefore, giving each member a personal connection to the issue. It was not just a passion, it was life or death. As each member held this strong connection to AIDS, it made them have an urgency to fight for the issues even harder. They turned their emotions into actions. Act Up had protests planned weekly on all different types of issues relating to the crisis. Although Act Up did have a formal leader in place, each issue had a separate committee to make sure each issue was being heard and fully focused on. Each protest held iconic posters and rants. A popular slogan used by many protesters was “Silence = Death”, emphasizing the government's response to the crisis.

Through the group's protests and persistent work, they performed many accomplishments. One of their biggest was pushing government agencies and drug companies to accelerate the testing of medications and lower the cost for people with HIV/ AIDs. Act Up played a large role in influencing the health care of their community as they ensured people had access to treatment, housing, and insurance. Act Up ultimately created change in the healthcare system for AIDS by stepping into the role of both activist and scientist.

Act Up should be honored as their work was incredibly important and truly saved lives. They became worldwide as their voices continued to spread throughout the United States and Europe, leaving a mark in history. Act Up had a huge influence on the past lives of the LGBTQ+ community as well as future members. They demonstrated to the government that this community is powerful and that their voices are effective and can truly transform history. Today, Act Up can be located on their website actupny.com where you can learn more about how to support the movement.

Sources

ACT UP | International Organization | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ACT-UP. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

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From HIV to Covid-19: Fauci on His “complicated Relationship” with Activist Larry Kramer. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hiv-covid-19-dr-fauci-his-complicated-relationship-larry-kramer-n1241684. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

How ACT UP Changed America | The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/14/how-act-up-changed-america. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

How ACT UP Remade Political Organizing in America - The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/13/t-magazine/act-up-aids.html. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

“LGBTQ History Month: The Early Days of America’s AIDS Crisis.” NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/lgbtq-history-month-early-days-america-s-aids-crisis-n919701. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

The ACT UP Historical Archive: ACT UP New York. https://actupny.org/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2022.

Westervelt, Eric. “ACT UP At 30: Reinvigorated For Trump Fight.” NPR, 17 Apr. 2017. NPR,https://www.npr.org/2017/04/17/522726303/act-up-at-30-reinvigorated-for-trump-fight.

Article and Graphic By Emily Myers