If you’ve ever felt a deep, burning commitment to a cause, but weren’t sure how to begin to speak out about it, see this documentary for outright inspiration. Then, like so many heroes we meet in this film, do something about it in a bold way. The men and women on the early battlegrounds of the AIDS epidemic/plague/CRISIS were the essence of humanity as they stood up against egregious infractions to all of our civil rights.
How to Survive A Plague, journalist David France’s gripping documentary chronicling the birth of ACT UP and the strides it made in getting AIDS treatments out of the laboratory & into the bodies of the infected & dying, opened last week at the IFC in New York and has a robust schedule of screenings across the country in the coming weeks. The images I have posted only begin to channel the energy of the late ’80s and early ’90s carrying through this 109 minute tale. They mark the dawn of a new awareness and cultural connectivity – they mark the sweep of change.
It is due entirely to the unfaltering efforts of these pioneers that countless lives were saved, and the door to acceptance was finally pried off its hinges. The word used by Larry Kramer in some early footage is “coalescence,” which perfectly describes the uniting of the community. This community at first consisted of the suddenly infected, the dying, the friends and loved ones of these individuals, and the few, such as Kramer, who foresaw the tidal wave. But as the virus spread, and as awareness spread, and as the reality set in that this struggle straddled the chasm of acceptance, the definition of community broadened. You didn’t have to be a gay man to see the insanity and hypocrisy of what was transpiring. And this was in America! As one late ’80s activist claimed while being pushed onto a patty wagon “Pray for the dead.”
Man, this movie does more than that – it shouts their glory and makes it crystal clear that they did not die in vain. Save the prayers for those who fought against them, against their ability to receive proper drugs and medical care. And pray for those who are, still today, in any corner of the planet, condemning any individual who suffers under this continued, horrific PLAGUE. Thank you again, Larry Kramer, for shouting out “PLAGUE!” in one of the film’s later, darker scenes. And thank you as well, to Peter Staley, Bob Rafsky (known most famously for bringing Bill Clinton to awareness), Mark Harrington, Iris Long, David Barr, Garance Franke-Ruta, and the many, many other brave and tireless activists documented here who refused to let AIDS just happen. And thank you, David France, for taking the time to pool together so much footage of an era. You are a true educator; and as with any holocaust, we all must learn and never, ever forget.
The battle is NOT over. ACT UP is still vibrant and powerful and worth your time. They are taking a bus from NYC to the presidential debate at Hofstra on October 16th – ride with them and be part of the voice for HIV/AIDS in the 2012 presidential race!