Both Paris is Burning and How to Survive a Plague document the LGBT experience in the 1980s during the AIDS crisis. Paris is Burning focuses on the underground ball culture scene in New York, depicting how people expressed their gender identities through dance competitions. How to Survive a Plague chronicles the efforts of ACT UP and other activist groups fighting for legislation and medical research during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. While different in scope, both films provide insight into the lifestyles and challenges faced by LGBT communities during this period.