The AIDS crisis in the United States began in 1981, when the CDC announced a concerning cluster of pneumocystis pneumonia infection in 5 gay men in Los Angeles on June 5. In all likelihood, these were not the first cases of the disease in the US, but by September of the next year, the CDC had identified AIDS as a disease that completely compromised the immune system.1 In the early days, there was a lot of fear and confusion. AIDS was mostly found in already marginalized communities: intravenous drug users, people with hemophilia, and, most famously, gay men. The AIDS crisis hit the gay community hard.2 By 1984, both French and American researchers had identified HIV as the virus that causes AIDS, making it clear that anyone could contract the illness. However, most continued to label AIDS as a “gay disease”. The already rampant homophobia in the United States was given a place to grow, as it was fueled by the fear and stigma surrounding this new disease.3
In a speech in 1987, Larry Kramer told gay men to pay attention. He wanted them to know about the already high casualties of AIDS and turn their anger into organization. It was on this principle that he founded ACT UP with a group of like-minded individuals. He wanted to change how people with AIDS were treated and how the epidemic was dealt with in the US. And that they did. The way they did so was often shocking and unorthodox, which is likely part of what made it so successful. One of their methods was called zapping, where they called out those against their cause in a public and dramatic fashion. They used a tactic they called “republican drag” to sneak into republican events and call out the politicians that were not helping those with AIDS. They also held large protests, like the one at the FDA in 1988, where 1200 protesters blocked the entrance to the FDA in Washington, DC for 9 hours, leading to 175 arrests. ACT UP not only changed things for people with AIDS, but for people with all illnesses. They considerably changed how the FDA conducts drug trials and expanded access to experimental drugs for people with AIDS. According to Anthony Fauci, ACT UP can be credited with changing how many people could access drug trials and decreasing the amount of time it takes to approve a drug from eight years to about three. In addition, they changed the way the public perceived those living with AIDS. Their dramatic protests and art humanized those they were fighting for and expanded awareness of their struggles. In this way, they also impacted the larger activist community, who have since used their methods to advocate for marginalized groups.4
Few publications exist on the Rhode Island chapter of ACT UP, and this project aims to shine a light on the organization and its activities through their own records. All primary source material came from the Brown University ACT UP Rhode Island Records, unless otherwise indicated. All interviews were conducted by Brandon Cook for Underground Rhode Island in 2006. Those interviewed are former members of ACT UP Rhode Island.
The best way to explore the material and the organization is through exhibits, which will give some background information as well. However, if you would like to look at just the items from the ACT UP Records, feel free to use the items or collections tabs.
2Snowden, Frank M. “HIV/AIDS: The Experience of the United States.” In Epidemics and Society, 429–47. From the Black Death to the Present. Yale University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvqc6gg5.25.
3Madson, Nathan H. “The Legacy of Act Up’s Policies"
4Madson, Nathan H. “The Legacy of Act Up’s Policies"