The first cases of what would later become known as AIDS ( Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ) were diagnosed almost 30 years ago.
During a time of economic recession and the rise of the "moral majority," the gay community had to fight an uphill battle against not just the disease but also homophobia, complacency, inadequate research and healthcare systems, and gays often even against one another about what approach to take as their friends were dying.
Two new books with Chicago connections take a closer look at the trajectory of AIDS as it impacted the mainstream and gay communities.
University of Illinois at Chicago scholar Jennifer Brier's Infectious Ideas book focuses on the federal and global epidemic, including a detailed account of President Ronald Reagan's criminal neglect and politicizing of the disease. Her book does not address Chicago's response, but instead looks closer at New York, San Francisco, and the overall U.S. and "global south" response.
Meanwhile, former ACT UP/Chicago member Debbie Gould has a more personal connection to the epidemic, and that is evident throughout her book Moving Politics. She looks closely at the Chicago, New York and San Francisco ACT UP chapters, and gives a detailed accounting of both the rise and fall of the ACT UP movement.
The books, both recently published, come at a time when AIDS/HIV activists and donors are fatigued by both the long-standing epidemic and the new recession. They can be used as tools for activists working on same-sex marriage and other issues, and perhaps the book can inspire a new generation to continue the fight against HIV and AIDS complacency.
Reviews of these two new books are at the links:
www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php and
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24758.
This Friday, Feb. 5, Chicagoans can remember the work of AIDS activist Danny Sotomayor. His brilliant editorial cartoons once appeared in gay media including Windy City Times, Outlines and Nightlines. He became a street fighter once he himself was diagnosed with the disease, and he fought with an intensity rarely matched in any movement. He lost his battle Feb. 5, 1992, and his life will be remembered on the 18th anniversary of his death, on Friday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m. in a free event at the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division. The rarely seen Sotomayor documentary, Short Fuse: Portrait of an AIDS Activist, will be shown.
