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LGBTQ+ History: Art During the AIDS Epidemic
How queer people had to fight for their lives using art.
The AIDS epidemic affected and killed more than 4 thousand in a span of about 10 years. This disease, which mostly affected the gay community at the time of the 1980s, gave people the feeling that they were in a warzone, struggling to keep life. During the 1980s, it was still a struggle to be gay, and due to the spread of the AIDS virus, homophobia became much more prominent among Americans.
To many gay people, this epidemic made them feel alone. Gay people were being disowned by their families, fired from their jobs, and kicked out of their homes. The virus was killing multiple gay people, and no one knew how to stop or prevent it. Due to this event being as tragic as it was, it caused many artists to respond to the epidemic. The taboo of having AIDS and being gay in the 1980s caused many artists to respond with protest art to lack of government funding, homophobia, and the need for gay civil rights.
Gay and Lesbian art is scarce to find in the media and in general. This translated to the anti-AIDS movement as well. In many aspects like religion and history, we like to keep the topic of homosexuality taboo. This can also be shown in art,
“gay and lesbian artists have written, reflected, and…