Difference between revisions of "Global LGBTQ HIV/AIDS Activists"

From QueerBio.com
Jump to: navigation, search
 
(23 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 30: Line 30:
 
* [[Neal Blewett]], activist
 
* [[Neal Blewett]], activist
 
* [[Michael Costello]], National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV/AIDS Project
 
* [[Michael Costello]], National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV/AIDS Project
 +
* [[Dawn Emsen-Hough]], ACON HIV/AIDS community health organization
 
* [[Georgie Harman]], Bobby Goldsmith Foundation
 
* [[Georgie Harman]], Bobby Goldsmith Foundation
 
* [[Brett Hayhoe]], PLWHA VIC (People Living with HIV/AIDS Victoria)
 
* [[Brett Hayhoe]], PLWHA VIC (People Living with HIV/AIDS Victoria)
Line 58: Line 59:
 
* [[Suhail Abu al-Sameed]], activist
 
* [[Suhail Abu al-Sameed]], activist
 
* [[Barry Adam]], academic
 
* [[Barry Adam]], academic
 +
* [[Frank Angelo]], co-founder of MAC AIDS Fund
 
* [[Rick Bebout]], AIDS Committee of Toronto
 
* [[Rick Bebout]], AIDS Committee of Toronto
 
* [[Raymond Blain]], politician and activist
 
* [[Raymond Blain]], politician and activist
 
* [[Bernard Rene Courte]], activist
 
* [[Bernard Rene Courte]], activist
 
* [[Gordon Dunbar]], activist
 
* [[Gordon Dunbar]], activist
 +
* [[Bill Flanagan]], President, University of Alberta
 
* [[Richard Fung]], artist
 
* [[Richard Fung]], artist
 
* [[Christian Hui]], Canadian Positive People Network (CPPN)
 
* [[Christian Hui]], Canadian Positive People Network (CPPN)
Line 79: Line 82:
 
* [[Ron Rosenes]], AIDS Committee of Toronto, AIDS Action Now!, Canadian Treatment Action Council
 
* [[Ron Rosenes]], AIDS Committee of Toronto, AIDS Action Now!, Canadian Treatment Action Council
 
* [[Robert Tomas]], People With AIDS Foundation
 
* [[Robert Tomas]], People With AIDS Foundation
−
* [[Frank Toscan]], MAC AIDS Fund
+
* [[Frank Toscan]], co-founder of MAC AIDS Fund
 
* [[Catherine White Holman]], activist
 
* [[Catherine White Holman]], activist
 
* [[Douglas Wilson]], activist
 
* [[Douglas Wilson]], activist
Line 104: Line 107:
  
 
* [[Daniel Defert]],  AIDES
 
* [[Daniel Defert]],  AIDES
 +
* [[Serge Dumont]], Special Representative for UNAIDS, the joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS
 
* [[Didier Lestrade]], activist
 
* [[Didier Lestrade]], activist
 
* [[Donald Potard]], LINK
 
* [[Donald Potard]], LINK
Line 117: Line 121:
 
* [[Michael Brady]], Terrence Higgins Trust
 
* [[Michael Brady]], Terrence Higgins Trust
 
* [[Jonathan Cooper]], Human Dignity Trust
 
* [[Jonathan Cooper]], Human Dignity Trust
 +
* [[Derek Frost]], AIDSARK
 
* [[Daniel Gerring]], activist
 
* [[Daniel Gerring]], activist
 
* [[Ray Gosling]], activist
 
* [[Ray Gosling]], activist
Line 123: Line 128:
 
* [[Bernard Lynch]], activist
 
* [[Bernard Lynch]], activist
 
* [[Andrew Nicolls]], Building Futures
 
* [[Andrew Nicolls]], Building Futures
 +
* [[Jeremy Norman]], Crusaid and AIDSARK
 
* [[Nick Partridge]], Terrence Higgins Trust
 
* [[Nick Partridge]], Terrence Higgins Trust
 
* [[Dr Pepe]], Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
 
* [[Dr Pepe]], Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
Line 205: Line 211:
 
* [[Zackie Achmat]]
 
* [[Zackie Achmat]]
 
* [[Edwin Cameron]], law and Charter of Rights on HIV/Aids
 
* [[Edwin Cameron]], law and Charter of Rights on HIV/Aids
 +
* [[Mmapaseka Steve Letsike]], activist
 +
* [[Simon Tseko Nkoli]], activist
 
* [[John Pegge]], activist
 
* [[John Pegge]], activist
  
Line 248: Line 256:
 
* [[Dennis DeLeon]], Latino Commission on AIDS
 
* [[Dennis DeLeon]], Latino Commission on AIDS
 
* [[Siddharth Dube]], Yale University's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS
 
* [[Siddharth Dube]], Yale University's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS
 +
* [[Mark R. Dybul]], U.S. Global AIDS Co-ordinator, PEPFAR
 +
* [[Justus Eisfeld]], consultant and activist for the transgender community on HIV/AIDS
 
* [[David Feinberg]], ACT UP
 
* [[David Feinberg]], ACT UP
 
* [[Yvette Flunder]], San Francisco Inter-religious Coalition on AIDS
 
* [[Yvette Flunder]], San Francisco Inter-religious Coalition on AIDS
Line 260: Line 270:
 
* [[Jim Graham]], politician
 
* [[Jim Graham]], politician
 
* [[Gina Guidi]], activist
 
* [[Gina Guidi]], activist
 +
* [[Perry Halkitis]], Dean of the Public School of Health, Rutgers University
 +
* [[Mark Harrington]], research scientist
 
* [[Thomas Healy]], Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
 
* [[Thomas Healy]], Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
 
* [[Marjorie Hill]], Gay Men's Health Crisis
 
* [[Marjorie Hill]], Gay Men's Health Crisis
Line 276: Line 288:
 
* [[Nathan Lane]], Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
 
* [[Nathan Lane]], Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
 
* [[Aaron Laxton]], activist
 
* [[Aaron Laxton]], activist
 +
* [[Kelsey Louie]], CEO of Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC)
 
* [[Nancy Mahon]], Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
 
* [[Nancy Mahon]], Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
 +
* [[Jeanne Marrazzo]], Director of National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases
 
* [[Al McAffrey]], politician
 
* [[Al McAffrey]], politician
 
* [[Jamie McGonnigal]], Founding Artistic Producer - World AIDS Day concerts
 
* [[Jamie McGonnigal]], Founding Artistic Producer - World AIDS Day concerts
 
* [[Scott McPherson]], Stigma Project
 
* [[Scott McPherson]], Stigma Project
 
* [[Gregorio Millett]], amFAR
 
* [[Gregorio Millett]], amFAR
 +
* [[Toni Newman]], Black AIDS Institute
 +
* [[Patrick O'Connell]], creator of the red ribbon
 
* [[Albert Ogle]], religious activist
 
* [[Albert Ogle]], religious activist
 
* [[John Preston]], AIDS Project of Southern Maine
 
* [[John Preston]], AIDS Project of Southern Maine
 +
* [[Jirair Ratevosian]], acting chief of staff to the United States Global AIDS Coordinator (2022-2023)
 +
* [[Mary Jane Rathbun]], activist
 
* [[Matt Redman]], AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)
 
* [[Matt Redman]], AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)
 
* [[Floyd Rumohr]], Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education
 
* [[Floyd Rumohr]], Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education
Line 289: Line 307:
 
* [[Carl Sciortino]], Massachusetts' AIDS Action Committee
 
* [[Carl Sciortino]], Massachusetts' AIDS Action Committee
 
* [[Brad Sears]],  HIV/AIDS Legal Services Alliance of Los Angeles (HALSA) and HIV Legal Checkup Project
 
* [[Brad Sears]],  HIV/AIDS Legal Services Alliance of Los Angeles (HALSA) and HIV Legal Checkup Project
 +
* [[Adrian Shanker]], member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS since 2021
 
* [[Jeff Sheehy]], activist
 
* [[Jeff Sheehy]], activist
 
* [[Charlita Shelton]], The Shanti Group
 
* [[Charlita Shelton]], The Shanti Group
Line 326: Line 345:
 
* [[Climate Change and Weather Experts from the LGBTQ Community]]
 
* [[Climate Change and Weather Experts from the LGBTQ Community]]
 
* [[Marriage Equality Advocates in the LGBTQ Community]]
 
* [[Marriage Equality Advocates in the LGBTQ Community]]
 +
* [[Race Activists in the LGBTQ Community]]
 +
* [[Prominent Members of ACT UP]]
 +
* [[Cannabis Legalization and the LGBTQ Community]]
  
 
==Further Reading/Research==
 
==Further Reading/Research==

Latest revision as of 09:29, 27 October 2024

Aidsactivism.jpg

The HIV/AIDS crisis has been a primary issue for the LGBTQ community from the late twentieth century to today. While it is a challenging one on many fronts, it has been embraced by the LGBTQ community as an important and defining part of its history that led to further refinements and sophistication of its collective activism.

The momentum forward in LGBTQ activism would face a major stumbling block in the 1980s: the emergence of an unusual and hitherto unknown aggressive form of cancer detected particularly in the gay community. By September 1982, the CDC had adopted the name Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as a label for this cancerous disease for which the patients all appeared to have no likelihood of resistance. Given the exponential rate of increase in reports of the disease and deaths of patients, the CDC in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health and a few LGBTQ health organizations (including New York’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) founded by writer and activist Larry Kramer in June) began more active and funded programs to warn LGBTQ individuals about the dangers posed to the community.

The fear amongst health workers (and other organizations such as police, firefighters, and funeral homes) to admit and properly treat victims of the disease led LGBTQ community activists to establish stand-alone AIDS clinics and chronic disease treatment centres around the world. The first of such was in 1982 when the Bailey-Boushay House in Seattle, Washington opened. Other countries followed suit, such as Australia with St. Vincent’s (1983), England with London Lighthouse (1986), Canada with Casey House (1988), and Scotland with Waverly Care (1989).

By the end of 1985, there were 20,303 cases worldwide reported to the World Health Organization. This grew to 71,750 cases by the end of 1987. At this stage, AIDS had become identified as a ‘gay disease’ and homophobia escalated. Thus began a series of more publicly visible actions by the LGBTQ community around the disease.

The momentum for this increased activism by the LGBTQ community was driven, in part, by the death around the world by AIDS of many high profile artists, writers, entertainers, and others, such as that of actor Rock Hudson in 1985 (he bequested $250,000 to formally establish the American Foundation for Aids Research (AMFAR)). Indeed, Rock Hudson’s death marked the turning point in government funding for AIDS research. It also marked the point at which straight allies joined the movement, such as Princess Diana of Great Britain and actor Elizabeth Taylor.

At that point, the general public began to relate to AIDS patients on an emotional and personal level. Rather than narrowly identifying AIDS patients as LGBTQ, the public began to relate to the patient as a human being. Public awareness and concern for the disease skyrocketed around the world. Politicians moved the AIDS issue to the top of the agenda on health and wellness issues.

AIDS activist Cleve Jones in the United States began the high-profile AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1986 wherein each panel of a quilt would memorialize an individual lost to AIDS. Some New York activists (led again by Larry Kramer) in 1987 formed a new organization called ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) to employ more direct action tactics to press for concrete plans to attack the disease and counter the homophobia it was generating. Identically named, or similar, organizations were formed in Paris, London (including Terrence Higgins Trust (1982), Stonewall (1989), OutRage (1990)), and Berlin. The notion was to transition the community from its portrayal as disease ‘victims’ into activist ‘experts’.

The first International AIDS Conference was held in Montreal in 1989, being a mix of activists and scientific medical practitioners. Today, medical advances have changed the AIDS disease from a death-sentence to a chronic illness in the developed world.

The concerns have shifted to its impact on the less-developed world, notably Africa and Asia. Notable LGBTQ activist organizations have been formed in these regions to address the same issues faced by western countries in the early stages of the disease. For example, Shivananda Khan founded the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) in the early 1990s to bring together governments, the United Nations organization, and civil society to address the health and social development agenda for the Asia and Pacific region on the issue of HIV-AIDS.

We have identified many individuals from around the world, both historical and contemporary, who have played or continue to play important roles in HIV/AIDS activism. Simply click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.

Algeria

Australia

Belgium

Botswana

Brazil

Cameroon

  • Joel Nana, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR)

Canada

Chile

China

Brazil

El Salvador

France

Germany

Great Britain

Greece

Guyana

  • Joel Simpson, Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Carribean and Guyana

India

Italy

Ivory Coast

Jamaica

  • Robert Carr, International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO)

Laos

Kenya

Mexico

Moldavia

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Puerto Rico

Russia

South Africa

Spain

St. Lucia

Surinam

Trinidad & Tobago

Ukraine

United States

Venezuela

Zambia

See Also

Further Reading/Research


Share on Facebook

Retrieved from "http://queerbio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Global_LGBTQ_HIV/AIDS_Activists&oldid=49566"