We didnt start the fire--AIDS Daniel Ding

History 12
In early 1981, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) received reports of
unusually high rates of the rare diseases Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and
Kaposis sarcoma in young gay men.(4) The deadly disease, AIDS, is historically
significant to the gay rights movement.

AIDS was used as a tool by politicians and fundamentalists to argue against

homosexual rights.(3) The July 1985 issue of Life magazine cover read:No one is
safe from AIDS,(5) Politician Pat Buchanan called AIDS natures revenge on gay
men. AIDS was viewed by Fundamentalists as an evidence of gods wrath.(2)
Since epidemic disease is often seen as condemnation of sin and the call for
repentance (2) in religious texts such as the Old Testament... And Book of
Exodus(2)

The AIDS epidemic also helped bring government attention to previously ignored gay
organizations. According to Ed Jackson, director of program development at Canadian
AIDS Treatment Information Exchange, and gay rights activist, AIDS changed
public perceptions (about gay people) and galvanized gay men into being more
active and more visible. (6) Organizations such as New York's Gay Men's Health
Crisis helped Gay men receive US government support (in AIDS) research, patient
care, services, and education programs.(1) In other countries such as Australia and
Great Britain, gays have been accorded some official recognition in formulating
official AIDS strategies, and their organizations subsidized.(1) The Australian
government helped with the development of the Gay Men's Community Health
Centre(1) while Great Britain funded the Terence Higgins Trust... in 1982 to
provide care for and information on AIDS.(1)

1)Dennis Altman, "Legitimation Through Disaster: AIDS and the Gay Movement,"
paper presented to the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association,
Chicago, 1987
2)Berger, P. (1967) The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of
Religion. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
3)"Facing the AIDS Crisis," Newsweek , 9 June 1987.
4)"A history of HIV/AIDS." CATIE - Canada's source for HIV and hepatitis C
information. CATIE, 1 Dec. 2016. Web. 26 May 2017.
5)"LIFE Magazine July 1985." LIFE Magazine July 1985 @ Original LIFE
Magazines.com, Unique Gift Idea, Vintage LIFE Magazine, Classic LIFE Magazine.
Blakeslee Corporatio, n.d. Web. 26 May 2017.
6)PICARD, ANDR. "How the advent of AIDS advanced gay rights." The Globe and
Mail. The Globe and Mail, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 May 2017.