Digital Learning Commons: LGBT Rights: 1980s-1990s

HIV/AIDS

David Wojnarowicz: still fighting prejudice 24 years after his death

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus

"The men in white are the surviving members of the original San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus The others represent those lost to AIDS." (1993)

via the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus blog

Keith Haring's "Unfinished Painting" (1989)

One of Keith Haring's final painting he completed before his death in 1990. The painting symbolizes lives cut short from the AIDS virus.

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AIDS Crisis

6 Groundbreaking AIDS Documentaries You Need To Watch
Documentaries listed investigate different perspectives of the AIDS crisis. Many are available to stream on Netflix.
25 Years of AIDS
Detailed timeline from PBS Frontline which includes external links for more information.
1980s: AIDS Crisis Emerges
The emergence of the AIDS crisis in 1981 and the deaths of so many gay and bisexual men dramatically affected lesbian and gay communities and their political focus.
ACT UP and the AIDS Crisis
Overview and primary source collection from the Digital Public Library of America.
The Age of AIDS
PBS FRONTLINE documentary examines one of the worst pandemics the world has ever known.
AIDS in the '80s: The rise of a new civil rights movement
In the 1980s, when Dr. Jesse Peel was in his 40s, he realized something startling: The gay community organizer and psychiatrist in Atlanta had lost more of his contemporaries than his aging mother at the time.
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Christensen, Jen. “AIDS in the '80s: The Rise of a Civil Rights Movement.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 June 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/04/14/health/aids-atlanta-emory-university-the-80s/index.html.
Andrew Sullivan remembers the AIDS epidemic in the 80s
CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with writer and journalist Andrew Sullivan who was on the front lines of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
Avert HIV Timeline
In this timeline you can explore different events in the history of HIV; and read, see and hear how things have changed.
The Terror and Prejudice of the 1980s AIDS Crisis Remembered by a Gay Man Who Lived Through It
Michael Penn watched his loved ones drop like flies during the 1980s at a time when homophobia and misunderstanding were rife.
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Gander, Kashmira. “The Terrifying Experiences of a Gay Man Who Lived through the AIDs Crisis.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 Jan. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/aids-crisis-1980-eighties-remember-gay-man-hiv-positive-funerals-partners-disease-michael-penn-a7511671.html.

1990s

1990s: Transgender, Intersex, & Bisexual Politics Crystallize
New organizations form, marginalized movements gain attention.
A Brief History of the Bisexual Movement
Bisexuals have been part of the modern Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights and Liberation Movement since the mid-1960s. Bisexuals have also organized separately while continuing to be active in gay, lesbian and other progressive movements.
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“A Brief History of the Bisexual Movement.” History of Bi Movement, BiNet USA, www.binetusa.org/binetusa/a-brief-history-of-the-bisexual-movement.
He called me Ellen Degenerate?
1997 TIME interview with Ellen DeGeneres, who talks about coming out as a lesbian and how she wants to be viewed.
To Be Young, Gay and Going to High School in Utah
Kelli Peterson and two other gay students formed an extracurricular club called the Gay/Straight Alliance. With that, the three set off a furor that now involves national conservative leaders, the State Legislature and the local school board.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Don't Ask, Don't Tell
News about Don't Ask, Don't Tell, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Remarks by the President at National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, DC
President Clinton announces the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in 1993.

Death of Matthew Shepard

After 20 years, Judy Shepard fights on in murdered gay son’s memory
Nearly 20 years have passed since her son, Matthew, who was gay, was savagely murdered, and Judy Shepard is still fighting to prevent hate rhetoric and crime.
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Turner, Lane. “After 20 Years, Judy Shepard Fights on in Son's Memory.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 31 Jan. 2018, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/30/after-years-judy-shepard-fights-son-memory/38SEIiP7xjVgGHcJ3nQCQL/story.html.
The Crucifixion of Matthew Shepard
1999 article from Vanity Fair. [Contains graphic descriptions of violence.]
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“The Crucifixion of Matthew Shepard.” The Hive, Vanity Fair, 31 Jan. 2015, www.vanityfair.com/news/1999/13/matthew-shepard-199903.

Notable Figures

Cleve Jones
LGBT and AIDS activist who conceived of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Keith Haring
Haring was socially conscious, and his murals often reflected his position on social issues. He sought to raise awareness of AIDS and fought against the proliferation of illegal drugs. He died of complications of AIDS at age 31.
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"Keith Haring." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 28 Apr. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Keith-Haring/435727.
Twilight of a Difficult Man: Larry Kramer and the Birth of AIDS Activism
American playwright, screenwriter, and gay rights activist whose confrontational style of advocacy, while divisive, was credited by many with catalyzing the response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States.
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Leland, John. “Twilight of a Difficult Man: Larry Kramer and the Birth of AIDS Activism.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 May 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/nyregion/larry-kramer-and-the-birth-of-aids-activism.html.
Leslie Feinberg
In 1993, transgender activist Leslie Feinberg published Stone Butch Blues, hir second book, a novelized version of hir life so far as a butch lesbian.
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Miller, Shauna. “The Importance of Leslie Feinberg.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 17 Nov. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/the-importance-of-leslie-feinberg/382852/.
Loraine Hutchins
Bisexual author, organizer, and activist.
Pedro Zamora
HIV-positive, Cuban American activist who gained prominence as a star of the reality TV series The Real World.
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Sicha, Choire. “Pedro Zamora: from 'Real World' to Real Legend.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2009, www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-pedro31-2009mar31-story.html.
Peter Stanley
While the AIDS crisis wreaked havoc on the lives of gay men throughout the 1980s and 90s, Peter Staley was on the front lines of the battle for political recognition and resources.
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Staley, Peter. “What I've Learned from 30 Years of AIDS Activism.” Vice, Vice, 30 Mar. 2017, www.vice.com/en_us/article/mgdxy3/what-ive-learned-from-thirty-years-of-aids-activism.
Robyn Ochs
Bisexual author and activist, often quoted as having described the most popular modern definition of bisexuality.
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Rossman, Reade S. “Beyond Bisexuality: A Conversation with Robyn Ochs.” The Harvard Crimson, 12 Oct. 2017, www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/10/12/professional-bisexual-robyn-ochs/.
The Hollywood Star Who Confronted the AIDS ‘Silent Epidemic’
Rock Hudson was a star of classic Hollywood who passed away from complications of AIDS in 1985. His death brought worldwide attention to the AIDS epidemic.
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Eschner, Kat. “The Hollywood Star Who Confronted the AIDS 'Silent Epidemic'.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 2 Oct. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hollywood-star-who-confronted-aids-silent-epidemic-180965059/.