“Well, from 1969 to 1984, until he died of AIDS, a teacher and I were very good friends. He even attended celebrations at my home, and I have to admit I even went with him to gay bars once in a while. So I know a homophobe when I see one. Pat Buchanan ain't no homophobe, believe me.” KnowsBelieveWellsHomeTeacherGayDiedVery GoodScaryAidsBarsCelebrationBelieve In MeGood FriendVery Good FriendsHomophobes Author:Ezola B. Foster
“I ask you ... to recognize that AIDS virus is not a political creature. It does not care whether you are Democrat or Republican; it does not ask whether you are black or white, male or female, gay or straight, young or old.” DoeCareYoungPoliticalAsksBlackWhiteHealthRepublicanGayCreaturesFemaleDemocratMalesAidsVirusesBlack Or White Author:Mary Fisher
“By the time [of modern] generation was coming of age sexually, there was already this idea of safe sex. But that didn't exist for me. I came out of the free-swinging '60s and '70s. It was free love, baby. That was it. We had very liberal sex-ed classes in 1973, a yearlong environmental science class, and then Women's Lib and Gay Liberation. So it's insane to go from that to Reagan and AIDS. It was like, "What happened? Where's my future?"” IdeasAgeSexClassGenerationsHappenedModernBabyGaySafeEnvironmentalAidsInsaneLiberationComing Of AgeMy FutureSexuallyFree LoveScience ClassGay LiberationEnvironmental Science Author:Michael Stipe
“When I first came up, the whole AIDS epidemic was starting, and the gay community that I experienced from the beginning of my career was mostly - and overwhelmingly - concerned with staying alive. And, also, I felt really aware of the preciousness of life and time. The gay community and people who were HIV-positive were treated so badly, and I was very disturbed by things. But I also saw a lot of love and connection in the gay community at that time.” PeopleFirstsWholeFeltCommunityCareersSawsAliveGayConcernedConnectionsStartingAidsTreatedStayingDisturbedHivEpidemicsStaying AliveLife And TimeGay CommunityHiv PositiveAids Epidemic Author:Madonna Ciccone
“I knew I was gay when I was around 13. There wasn't the internet, there weren't support groups, AIDS was everywhere. I mean, it was really dark.” MeanDarkSupportGroupsInternetGayAidsSupport Groups Author:Rufus Wainwright
“Your life could be taken from you at any moment. Between AIDS and the violence against gay people that was so prevalent back then, you really didn't feel like you were living in the United States of America, in a first world country. You had a sense that life was a precious commodity you had to fight to keep.” PeopleWorldFeelsFirstsCountryStatesMomentsAmericaFightingUnitedUnited StatesTakenViolenceLike YouGayAidsUnited States Of AmericaCommodityGay People Author:Dale Peck
“Because gay people were so much more visible, violence against gays was more common and reported on. But they were definitely related to each other. In the wake of AIDS, gay people felt like they had to organize, become much more active and visible. AIDS fostered a gay rights movement that made gay people more powerful and more vulnerable at the same time.” PeopleMadeFeltPowerfulCommonRightsViolenceMovementGayActiveAidsVulnerableRelatedVisibleOrganizeGay RightsGay People Author:Dale Peck
“I think these last 10 years have seen just a huge shift in the psyche of this country as regards gay people. I think AIDS had a lot to do with it. So many families who really believed they'd 'never met one' were suddenly confronted with their sons becoming ill, and friends of sons. I think that brought a lot of it into the open.” PeopleThinkingYearsCountryLastsSonHugeBecomingMetsGayRegardIllAidsGay People Author:Janis Ian
“I would be so scared if I was a gay guy...you'll, like, die of AIDS.” IfsWould BeGuyDiesGayScaredAidsGay Guy Author:Paris Hilton
“I'm making an announcement: Not one penny will I give to AIDS anything as long as [public sex is allowed in gay bathhouses]. Not cent one. It's a preventable disease. If you don't want to prevent it, I don't want to pay for it.” IfsWantGivingLongSexPayGayDiseaseAidsCentsPenniesAnnouncements Author:Laura Schlessinger
“We're the end of the baby boomers, and we participated in many social changes. Who would of thought, for example, when the AIDS epidemic came along that so many would die, because it was gay people dying. And what emerged was a grassroots movement that developed, and succeeded in getting things done. The pinpointing of that movement evolved into the changes that we have today.” PeopleEndsDoneTodayDiesSocialDyingExampleMovementBabyGayAidsSocial ChangeThings DoneEpidemicsGay PeopleGrassrootsGetting Things DoneBoomersBaby BoomerPeople DyingAids EpidemicGrassroots Movements Author:Todd Haynes
“I have been reluctant to lobby on other issues I most care about - nuclear weapons (against), religion (atheist), capital punishment (anti), AIDS (fund-raiser) because I don't want to be forever spouting, diluting the impact of addressing my most urgent concern - legal and social equality for gay people worldwide.” PeopleWantHas BeensCareSocialForeverIssuesGayWeaponsConcernImpactAtheistAidsNuclearPunishmentFundNuclear WeaponsUrgentReluctantGay PeopleCapital PunishmentAgainst ReligionSocial Equality Author:Ian Mckellen
“What happened in the 80's was that all the men died of AIDS. That was a particularly depressing time because so many people passed away and it was a very desperate and lonely time, so I think a lot of people felt that we were somehow, unreceived. Not only by the disease but also by the public image of the disease. It really gave homophobia a real shot in the arm and changed the way people viewed gays, queers. It became an entirely different atmosphere.” PeopleThinkingMenWayDifferentRealFeltHappenedChangedHe ManArmsGayDiseaseShotsLonelyDiedAidsAtmosphereDesperateDepressingHomophobiaPassed AwayPublic Image Author:Margaret Cho
“I think I started out okay but with AIDS came a great deal of silence about gayness and this period of lose and morning, but at the same time a kind of feeling like you wanted to get back into the closet because being gay was such a terrible thing at that point.” ThinkingKindFeelingsWantedLosesDealsSilenceMorningLike YouPeriodsTerribleGayOkayAidsGet BackClosetsTerrible ThingsBeing GayGayness Author:Margaret Cho
“You know, it's a very treatable disease. You shouldn't feel ashamed. But I'm afraid that's carried on very much so from the first days of AIDS, when it was basically a gay disease. And then, of course, you know, it affected everybody.” KnowsFeelsFirstsCoursesGayDiseaseAidsAshamedAffected Author:Elton John
“The effect of AIDS was like a war in a minute country. Like, in World War I, a whole generation of Englishmen died all at once. And with AIDS, a whole generation of gay men died practically all at once, within a couple of years.” MenWorldYearsWarCountryWholeGenerationsMinutesEffectsCoupleGayDiedAidsWar Of The WorldsWorld War IEnglishmenGay Men Author:Fran Lebowitz
“After the second chapter of Days of Obligation, which is about the death of a friend of mine from AIDS, was published in Harper's, I got this rather angry letter from a gay-and-lesbian group that was organizing a protest against the magazine. It was the same old problem: political groups have almost no sense of irony.” ProblemPoliticalGroupsMinesGayLettersAngryAidsObligationMagazinesIronyProtestChaptersHarperDeath Of A FriendPolitical Groups Author:Richard Rodriguez
“When the AIDS epidemic first started there were people who said, "Well, if there weren't gays, then we wouldn't have this problem. It's got to be because of them - let it be them instead of us." But when you educate yourself about it, you can't help but realize that we're all affected by it. I think that things like that just become too daunting for people.” PeopleThinkingHelpingProblemRealizingGayAidsEducate Author:Josh Brolin
“Mid-'80s in New York was fantastic. I remember my first Gay Pride parade in the city. Where I grew up was very sheltered, so when I got to the city, there was this freedom and so much happening. At the same time, there was this pressure of AIDS and everything else. New York is so different today.” DifferentTodayRememberPrideGayAidsFantastic Author:Francisco Costa
“People still think of AIDS as a shame-based disease, it's a sexually transmitted disease, and you're either gay or you're a prostitute or an intravenous drug user. And so a lot of people are still very bigoted about this disease. It's such a treatable disease. It's so - the end is in sight for this disease, medically.” PeopleThinkingGayDrugAidsUsersSexually Author:Elton John
“The radical right is so homophobic that they're blaming global warming on the AIDS quilt.” HumorFunnyGayBlameAidsRadicalGlobal WarmingHivHomophobicQuilts Author:Dennis Miller
“A lot of people in my world - in the acting world - have either lost friends to Aids or live with HIV because its origin in our culture, in New York for instance, was in the gay community.” PeopleWorldCultureLostCommunityActingNew YorkFriendsGayAidsInstanceHivLost FriendGay Community Author:Emma Thompson