In the 1990s, AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, was observed in the United States. Contracting it at that early period in the disease’s lifespan was a death sentence for many. Nearly as dangerous as the effects of the illness was the way that AIDS was used to stigmatize homosexual people. Due to its initial prevalence in gay communities, the disease was first known as GRID, gay related immune deficiency. Even when other people started to get it, there was still a conception of it being a gay disease. This led to a suboptimal treatment of the disease by American institutions. From the street level, where homosexuals would be discriminated against in hospitals, to the federal level, where the FDA didn’t prioritize research on drugs that would soothe the condition, homosexuals got the short end of the stick as they saw others in their communities begin to die out.
A lot died from AIDS, but many more would have died if not for the actions of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power. They were a group dedicated to fighting for better treatment of AIDS as it pertained to homosexuals and all people in general. The main takeaway from ACT UP’s actions would have to be the lengths they took to see the change they wanted to happen take place. More than just performing marches and protests, they became science literate in regards to the issue. They observed how the issue was being handled in other countries and what drugs were available in order to come to the understanding that the US government wasn’t doing their own best in regards to the issue. ACT UP went as far as to draft their own version of a national research agenda that spurred the FDA’s work on some treatments.
ACT UP was very effective in its time. This was due to them not just demanding change, but enacting change. They immersed themselves in the scientific literature to fully understand the topic before taking real action to accomplish things such as procuring drugs not legalized in the US and drafting an agenda for the federal government to review.
The obvious parallel to the cause that ACT UP fought for is the mental health group. People with mental health disorders are being ostracized rather than helped, and even though mental health isn’t necessary lethal likes AIDS used to be, it has negatively impacted the lives of many sufferers and their loved ones. However, the way that this particular issue and any other can be combatted is by examining the methods used by ACT UP. Fully comprehend the issue that you want to fight, and you can make the change that you want to see rather than wait for others to hear you and make the change for you. In this day and age, contracting AIDS is no longer a death sentence, but many people who were around when it was were able to make it out due to the actions of ACT UP. The methods that this particular group utilized has applications for any group fighting for a cause.
