New York City during the AIDS Crisis, 1981 - 1996
This exhibit chronicles the AIDS crisis in New York City from 1981 to 1996, from when the media first reported about the illness to the transformation of HIV from a typically fatal diagnosis to a manageable chronic condition through the advent of protease inhibitors. It illuminates the alarm, fright, and untruths of the early years of AIDS in the city, and the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV. In the absence of government action, organizations like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the Minority AIDS Task Force, and the AIDS Center of Queens County (ACQC) emerged to provide caretaking, counseling, and advocacy. These efforts were mostly led by volunteers for those neglected by their families and society.