1. Aaryn Frazier
English 2420:02
Dr. Myles
4/12/2016
A Crisis to One is a Crisis to All
Many things are lost throughout history, but one of the worst that seems to always be lost
first is compassion. In the study of history, we seem to detach the beings in our past from the
people we are today. It shouldn’t be that hard to comprehend. But, with the amount of debate on
who or what is considered a human and who or what should be treated with care, love and
compassion seem scarce even today. Now, when most people think of history; they think of
hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. Most also think of it as something separate from
themselves and their lives today. The history that needs to be talked about today is the AIDS
crisis that took ahold of America and other countries in the late nineteen-seventies and onward.
In this talk one must look towards the historic responses of the time, activist groups that
emerged, and how we understand writings today such as Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on
National Themes.
First, the response to the AIDS crisis in the nineteen-eighties was profoundly disturbing
and is only beginning to become better today. When AIDS first “emerged” into the world the
media took the concept on a wild ride. AIDS was known as the “gay cancer”. Just think about
that. Gay. Cancer. Now, acceptance of homosexuality and all others on the spectrum hasn’t
always been as “great” as it is today, and now there was another separation to divide all people
into normal and “other”. It was thought by religious folk that this, AIDS, was a punishment for
the sin of sodomy for “the gays”. This was a common thought, even to non-religious folk, that

2. queer was bad and if you were normal then you would be at no risk of contracting this particular
virus. Paying no mind to the fact that they knew it was a virus and that viruses do not work that
way. Many discoveries weren’t figured out until at least nineteen eighty-two. In fact, according
to A Brief Timeline of AIDS from factlv.org, “CDC (USA) links the new disease to blood.” How
many years did this hate build before the world, let alone the nation, knew that this really was not
a “gay cancer” or punishment to homosexuality? This was a common thought up until nineteen
eighty-two as well. Another timeline titled History of HIV and AIDS Overview goes to say the
following, “In June 1982, a group of cases among gay men in Southern California suggested that
the cause of the immune deficiency was sexual and the syndrome was initially called gay-related
deficiency (or GRID).”
And that was just the tip of this monumental iceberg. Like any crisis or epidemic, the
AIDS crisis brought about a great amount of panic, and ironically, a great amount of denial and
avoidance. One central figure of the times that had both a lot to say and not much to say about
the whole ordeal was our commander and chief, Ronald Reagan. When one says that he had
much to say and nothing at all; it isn’t a joke. By saying little to nothing about the AIDS crisis in
his two terms; he said a whole lot. Some may say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but
silence in the face of fear, death, hate crimes and many other terrible happenings must be worth a
million words. This would be exceptionally true for those that are waiting patiently in the face of
this horror. Natasha Geiling says the following in The Confusing and At-Times
Counterproductive 1980s Response to the AIDS Epidemic, “Many posters and education
campaigns harnessed sexual imagery to convey the importance of safe sex in an attempt to make
safety sexy (like the Safe Sex is Hot Sex campaign), but it wasn’t a campaign tactic supported by
governmental bodies -- in fact, in 1987, Congress explicitly banned the use of federal funds for

3. AIDS prevention and education campaigns that “[promoted] or [encouraged], directly or
indirectly, homosexual activities” (the legislation was spearheaded by conservative senator Jesse
Helms and signed into law by President Reagan.” These people were falling faster as each day
passed by.
But, simultaneously, there were many groups that rose and had a lot to say. Many, many
activist groups came about in the early eighties. Among them were, Black, Gay and Lesbian
Leadership Forum and the Gay Men's Health Crisis. But try as they might, not every attempt at
being helpful or protective was received in the best manner. In The Confusing and At-Times
Counterproductive 1980s Response to the AIDS Epidemic, by Natasha Geiling, it goes on to say,
“The above poster exemplifies the tactic of fear mongering: a large, visible slogan to affect fear
(and shame sexual behavior), while information on how to prevent the spread of AIDS is buried
in small print at the bottom of the poster.” This was in response to a poster with the picture of a
headstone that read, “A bad reputation isn’t all you can get from sleeping around.” She goes on
to comment on another poster that says, “AIDS ---even the name is deceptive.” Her comment is,
“The posters fed on people’s inability to understand how AIDS actually spread. It didn’t really
ever mention ways to prevent the spread of HIV. . .” So, in short, people were scared and shamed
into submission, but never actually told anything about prevention nor the cause of HIV and
AIDS.
Which can amount to much of how we perceive and feel about certain pieces of literature
today. One of those pieces of literature is Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National
Themes. Having an idea of the emotions and politics of the time can really help to understand the
content of the story. The AIDS crisis brought about another resurgence of another epidemic;
homophobia. According to the article Homophobia and HIV from AVERT, “Homophobia is “the

4. irrational hatred, intolerance, and fear” of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
people.” This is not to say that there wasn’t homophobia before the AIDS crisis arose; only that
in this time people’s fear and panic overwhelmed them. The article also says, “Homophobia
continues to be a major barrier to ending the global AIDS epidemic.” It can be said that
homophobia can be linked to two themes in Angels in America. Those two themes would be
community and identity which seem to always be close, if not linked, anyway. The identity of
someone with AIDS, as we see in the story, will lead you to the community of those who have
AIDS. Although, not every character knows every other character in the story, their circles are
always meeting and clashing within the tale.
Works Cited
"AIDS Timeline." AIDS Timeline. Aegis.com, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

5. Geiling, Natasha. "The Confusing and At-Times Counterproductive 1980s Response to
the AIDS Epidemic." Smithsonian. Smithsonian.com, Nov.-Dec. 2013. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
"History of HIV and AIDS Overview | AVERT." History of HIV and AIDS Overview |
AVERT. AVERT 1986 - 2016, 1986. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
"Homophobia and HIV | AVERT." Homophobia and HIV | AVERT. AVERT 1986 -
2016, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.