The Silent Epidemic: Queerphobia, and its Roots in the AIDS Crisis

With the approach of May 17th and 18th, which center on the fight against queerphobia and the development of the AIDS vaccine respectively, it’s important to examine the impact of the AIDS crisis, how it perpetuated queerphobia, and the modern systems that continue to maintain it. Early reporting of the crisis focused almost exclusively on gay men, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) first documented cases on June 5th, 1981 reporting on 5 previously healthy, young gay men in Los Angeles, who were originally diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii (now referred to as Pneumocystis jirovecii). A large number of gay men were subsequently diagnosed with Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a rare cancer (The AIDS Epidemic in the United States, CDC). The appearance of both of these conditions in unusual amounts among people of the same diaspora led to the establishment of a pattern, and the recognition that these illnesses could be symptoms of a broader issue, which they initially referred to as “Gay-Related Immune Deficiency” (GRID), as it was thought to only affect gay men, an assumption that shaped public perception of the disease, and the gay community for years. It was only a year later in 1982, that the term Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was adopted as scientists realized that the disease could be transmitted through sex, blood etc. and was not exclusive to a singular demographic (President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy; History of HIV/AIDS, CANFAR).

Despite the progression of scientific understanding regarding AIDS, the media narrative remained stagnant, opting to focus on infections in gay white men in urban areas, and rarely mentioning how heterosexuals, women, hemophiliacs etc. were also at sufficient risk. This sensationalism, combined with the ignorance and inaction of the government, and religious leaders, specifically that of the US Reagan administration, created a deadly combination of stigma, misinformation, and neglect that allowed the epidemic to spread through the 1980s and beyond, costing the lives of many. Many religious leaders interpreted the AIDS epidemic to be a religious punishment enacted upon queer or more sexual individuals. Influential pastors, such as Reverend Billy Graham, who often referred to AIDS as a divine punishment in sermons, and began to utilize the epidemic as a way to condemn queer individuals and those with more sexual partners, a statement he later retracted (Arts & Sciences, Boston University). Televangelist Jerry Falwell famously stated: “AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals" (Jerry Falwell and Troy Perry Debate the Morality of AIDS in 1983). Similarly, in a press conference, it was reported that Reagan’s press secretary, Larry Speakes, was asked a question about AIDS to which he jokingly asked the reporter “What’s AIDS?” The reporter referred to AIDS as a “gay plague,” to the bemusement of Speakes and the rest of the room (Hoppe). This singular interaction encapsulates the disregard and homophobic attitude embodied by both the government and the media at the time, perspectives which carried through the decades. This selective focus prevented the public from acknowledging the full scope of the AIDS epidemic, and created a false sense of invincibility among those at the highest risk, such as those who were in need of blood transfusions. The delayed involvement of the US government in the AIDS epidemic resulted in a delayed medical response, hindering the development of effective treatments, and public education on AIDS (Hoppe). It wasn’t until 1987 that an Anti-Retroviral Drug was created and approved (History of HIV/AIDS, CANFAR), at which point the death toll in US and Canada combined had reached ~56,000, and AIDS had become a pandemic, reaching a significant number of countries, and causing a substantial number of deaths globally (HIV/AIDS in Canada, Wikipedia).

The prevailing queerphobia and neglect perpetuated by the government and media responses to the AIDS crisis laid the groundwork for many ongoing disparities in healthcare, and social discrimination against queer individuals. Even with medical advancements such as Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), the stigma regarding AIDS remains deeply entangled with systemic queerphobia. We see this in how despite widespread public safety campaigns regarding susceptibility to AIDS, many still maintain a subconscious false sense of security, often due to associating transmission with sexuality, with a survey done by the Government of Canada detailing that around 1 in 4 people believe those at “high risk” of AIDS to be gay or bisexual men, along with those with multiple sex partners (~60% of respondents), followed by sex workers (~57% of respondents). A similar trend was also witnessed among healthcare workers, in which 78% believed men who had intercourse with other men to be at a greater risk of contracting AIDS, and 73% stated that sex workers possessed the highest risk. The view of AIDS as some form of divine punishment for the queer community also continues to persist, having growing influence on public policy, and legislative actions that impede access to certain forms of health care, such as PrEP — access to which is often limited by financial constraints or discriminatory attitudes from healthcare workers, and inadequate protections for queer individuals. Even in its early years of distribution PrEP, Truvada, was considered a “party drug", perpetuating the “Truvada whore” and “gay plague” narrative as they believed it to encourage people, specifically gay men, to engage in unprotected sexual encounters with multiple people, seen as such by many including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein (Sauls). Research has shown that this narrative may prevent health professionals from prescribing PrEP, specifically to those who do not fit the stereotype, placing many individuals, including cis and transgender women, at risk. Exclusion is often the largest issue that individuals with HIV face, with them frequently being seen as “diseased,” resulting in avoidance of these individuals amongst friends and family, and even health professionals. Gina Brown, diagnosed with HIV in 1994 reported that when birthing her daughter in 1994, she received no visitors, and hospital staff placed her food outside her door, which she then had to bring into her room herself (Law). Harmful narratives such as these not only perpetuate the stigma around AIDS, but also contribute to a broader culture of exclusion, the very same that led to the countless number of lives claimed directly and indirectly by the AIDS epidemic.

To fully tackle queerphobia and its persistence in modern media, it’s imperative to acknowledge the history that led to its prevalence, and learn from it, and understand the process of scapegoating, the collective harm it perpetuates, and the role it plays in the weakening of societal harmony, and security. It is also imperative we acknowledge the importance of science, and center science, rather than sensationalism when it comes to public issues, especially that of health. In remembrance of all those who lost their lives to AIDS, let us focus on systemic change, within the healthcare system, the government, and the media, to dismantle the structures embedded in broader society that continue to perpetuate queerphobia and the discrimination, thereby preventing future crises such as the AIDS epidemic. 

Works Cited

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