Act Up worked courageously to make a difference and in a time where AIDS was misunderstood and feared, any action at all was an enormous feat. It was alarming to even watch as protesters were pulled apart and arrested during their demonstrations. I was also shocked to see how many people were affected by this epidemic even though government officials had still only taken minimal action. It was compelling and ironic to see individuals selling AIDS drugs on the street because many did not have access to these drugs that they actually needed to save their lives. When action was taken, it was as if there was a hierarchy of who should be helped since women and people of color were not a part of clinical trials to test new drugs that could potential save their lives. When there seemed to finally be something available that had a chance of helping people, the medication was extremely overpriced. It looked like progress had been made, but it was slow and Act Up’s mission was to accelerate this process so they had a chance to live another day.

The media created a skewed view on the facts about Act Up and AIDS, which further fueled the stigma surrounding the issue. For example, news reporters told the public that Act Up protested to shut down the FDA, when in actuality they wanted them to work faster to approve something out there that would save the millions suffering. They also tried to promote celibacy as a logical solution and then sweep the issue under the rug as if that was a practical option. The way interviewers spoke about Act Up’s efforts made it seem as though the public felt like the issue was too taboo and should not be address. However, this obviously could not have been the case since many companies had taken heed to Act Up’s message, probably due to the public support of it, and made changes such as new drug testing protocols and discontinuing secret meetings. Act Up was able to change HIV/AIDS from a topic no one wanted to mention to one that all presidential candidates had to address. Act Up seemed to be a near perfect organization that not only brought criticism but provided solutions as well.

Discussion Question: Act Up believed that individuals should have the right to decided to take a drug they thought would help save their lives while TAG thought more testing should be done before a drug is approved in order to ensure it would work. Do you think having the FDA approve a drug for individuals to use and then continuing to observe it to approve it a second time for individuals who want to be sure would be a good solution for both groups?