Photo Courtesy of Annette Dragon via University of Southern Maine Digital Commons
Members of ACT UP protest outside of George H.W. Bush’s summer residence in Kennebunkport.
By Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27
Editor-in-Chief
On Dec. 1, Mount Holyoke College observed World AIDS Day, “an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness,” according to an Instagram post by the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The Office of DEI and Be Well Peer Health Educators began the day tabling in the Williston Library Atrium from around 12-1 p.m.; students were welcome to “stop by to grab a red ribbon, and peruse various select works of HIV/AIDS literature,” as described in the Nov. 24 MHC: This Week email from the College.
Later that day at 7 p.m., The Office of DEI hosted a virtual panel on Zoom in conjunction with the politics department titled, “Histories & Memories of ACT UP NY.” Several alums of ACT UP — Andrea Lawlor, BC Craig, Debra Levine and Diane Curtis — spoke at the panel, detailing their personal experiences, memories and answering student questions.
HIV — human immunodeficiency virus — is the virus that causes HIV infection in humans. HIV attacks and destroys helper T cells, which help the body fight off infections and cancers. HIV cannot be spread through casual contact; the virus is only transmittable through blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk, according to HIV.gov.
When somebody has HIV for a long time, they may develop AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. People with AIDS have critically low levels of T cells, and are much more susceptible to infection and cancer than those without. Today, while there is still no cure for HIV, people with HIV can achieve an undetectable viral load with treatment. Those with an undetectable viral load are not able to transmit the virus, and will not develop AIDS.
Visiting Assistant Professor in Politics Kevin Henderson, who is currently teaching a course on the politics of HIV/AIDS, helped open the event, providing a brief introduction on the history of HIV/AIDS and ACT UP.
The first cases of HIV reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were in June 1981, though it’s likely that many people had acquired the virus long before then. ACT UP was founded in response to widespread stigma against those with HIV/AIDS and government inaction on the epidemic. According to Henderson, “ACT UP pioneered the slogan ‘Healthcare is a human right’” and created “some of the most recognizable” protest art of all time.
“Really, we were a bunch of people in our twenties trying to figure things out,” panelist Diane Curtis said.
The former members of ACT UP discussed how the movement’s energy and the bonds between its members allowed it to thrive during an incredibly difficult time in history. Prior to 1996, there was no effective treatment for HIV/AIDS, and many died.
Curtis described the number of deaths as having been “overwhelming.” Today, social media has allowed many members of ACT UP to reconnect and mourn those who were lost. “We forgot to grieve, and now we’re going to,” Curtis said.
Debra Levine spoke about how many members of ACT UP coped with stress in the height of the epidemic through humor, “You could have something incredibly weighty, and it’s helpful to have comedians in your group.”
“It really helped to have a good drag outfit,” Levine added.
“Despite how literally life and death everything was, it was so much joy, so much parties and cruising, and around this anger, around these actions, around the risks people were taking, around the many hospital rooms we spent time in and around the many memorials, there was so much life and joy,” BC Craig explained.
Panelists also discussed several protests and actions by ACT UP, and the organization’s commitment to inclusivity. Levine explained that in 1991 on Labor Day, ACT UP transported hundreds of its members to then-President George H.W. Bush’s summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in protest of Bush’s inaction on the epidemic.
Craig expanded upon the difficult logistics of this particular action: “People need to remember when we’re talking about this, an action that’s 1,000 miles away, we needed a complete medical staff, food, and water, and lot of sick people needed wheelchairs.”
While “it took a lot of money,” it was important to ensure “anyone who’s differently abled in any way gets to participate,” Levine said.
The love and dedication members of ACT UP had for one another was one of the most memorable and nostalgic aspects of the organization for many of the panelists.
“That was a model of possibility [that] I just thought was the world,” Lawlor said.
Jillian Stammely ’28 contributed fact checking.