Last Men Standing

Last Men Standing
They had the remarkable luck to survive AIDS, and the brutal misfortune to live on.
By Erin Allday

I , like so many, lived through the beginning of the AIDS crisis.  It was a terrifying time for Gay men.  We often were told conflicting information about HIV/AIDS and really didn't know what was going on or how all this started.

I lost many friends to HIV/AIDS in the beginning.  One day you're out with friends enjoying yourself and the next week one of your friends is missing.  You begin to wonder what has happened and then you hear the devastating news; John passed away.  It shakes you to the core.

I am a survivor of this era.  I made some bad decisions when it came to safe sex, but I got tested and found that I was  HIV negative.  I changed my sexual life accordingly and made sure I would not become another statistic.  But, with that, there comes a certain sadness and loss for all those friends and lovers who didn't make it this far.  Here is an excellent view into that life and the survivors.
Last Man Standing

The Ashes Action.

Act up: October 11, 1992 1 PM.

An event organized by ACT UP on October 11, 1992 1PM gathered in front of the White House to protest the lack of action and money spent on the AIDS crisis. The protest was called "Ashes Action".  This was a protest organized to show the actual human carnage and loss of life that AIDS had amounted too.  It was also a counterpoint to the reveal of the AIDS quilt also in October 1992.

Family, friends, lovers, and partners of people who had died of AIDS, brought their loved ones' ashes to the lawn of the White House and threw them over the fence and chanted and cried and grieved.

George Bush as well as Ronald Reagan were held accountable for the deaths of 150,000+ persons with AIDS.  George Bush stated in an interview that Gay people needed to change their behavior as a means to stop the epidemic.

As people were throwing the ashes onto the White House lawn,  police on horseback moved in to disperse the crowd.  The crowd began to shout, "The whole world is watching!"  And then the chant went up, "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!"









Here is the YouTube video in full:

More information about the film:  The Ashes Action 1992

World AIDS Day



December 1, 2011 is World AIDS Day.

I will always remember living during the early 80's and hearing about the first reports of something called AIDS and HIV (the gay cancer).

I will always remember going out to the bars/clubs and mixing with friends, acquaintances and noticing in the coming days that some people were no longer around anymore.

I will always remember hearing of the first of my friends succumbing to AIDS and how it made me feel.

I will always remember going to get my first AIDS test with my good friend Bill and how scared to hell we both were going there and then waiting to hear the results.

I was so blessed to become a volunteer and eventually the office manager for "The Sharing of Hope" which was later to become, the Beaver County AIDS Service Organization; BCASO.  I was one of the people of BCASO to plan the first ever AIDS walk in Beaver County Pennsylvania. 

I am so happy to have helped in my little way to bring AIDS awareness to my community and to help those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

The fight continues and the stigma of AIDS is still something we must overcome.  Bigotry and hatred need to be made a thing of the past. 

To those who have died, I hope that they have not died in vain.  I hope that their deaths have brought light to those around them and I hope that their deaths will bring about change, understanding and compassion.