the impact of HIV/AIDS on gay men remains one of the most significant health and social crises in modern history. national gay men’s HIV/AIDS awareness day serves as a crucial reminder of the devastation and impact of the crisis among gay men and a celebration of the resilience of a community that mobilized to raise awareness on every front in the face of immense social and cultural barriers.
as early as 1982, prevention messages specifically targeted gay men, emphasizing the importance of safer sex practices, began to appear in san francisco and new york bathhouses. the use of condoms became a focal point of AIDS education campaigns. more political-oriented campaign messaging, such as “silence = death,” soon followed.
HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns (often posters) were crucial in raising awareness in an era before the advent of social media. i remember seeing posters in waiting rooms, community-based organizations, gay clubs (during youth/teen nights when i could go), and community centers.
i have included some HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns targeting gay men that i remember along with some i have discovered over the years. while some of these messages and images can be experienced in 2024 context as antiquated, these posters, in a tender way, helped me to navigate a landscape of fear, misinformation, and homophobia.
on national gay men’s HIV/AIDS awareness day, i want to pay homage to those who courageously appeared in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns during a time when any association with AIDS meant the threat of violence, loss of housing, employment, housing, and becoming an outcast. in many ways, y’all carried me through and i continue to carry the hope and clarity you provided.
