Bobbi Campbell, the “AIDS poster boy,” ca. 1983; photograph by Marie Ueda, Marie Ueda Collection (2006-12), GLBT Historical Society.
In the 1980s, the emergence of HIV in the U.S. reinforced existing prejudices against gay and bisexual men, IV drug users, Haitians and other groups heavily impacted by the disease. Today, with the initial appearance of COVID-19 in China, incidents of violence and discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans have increased. Older people have also been stigmatized. An intergenerational panel of activists and community leaders will discuss the destructive phenomenon of stigmatization in epidemics, and how the lessons of the AIDS crisis may be relevant to COVID-19 today.
“Fighting Back” series is an intergenerational discussion that brings together community leaders, experts, historians and activists to explore lessons from the past that might be useful in formulating “resistance” efforts today.
SPEAKERS
Terry Beswick (moderator) has served as executive director of the GLBT Historical Society since 2016. At the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, he was a founding member of the local ACT UP and was the first national coordinator of ACT NOW, the national AIDS activist network. He advocated for HIV/AIDS research and treatment with Project Inform, the Human Rights Campaign and the White House Office of HIV/AIDS Policy. After the advent of effective treatments for HIV, Beswick worked as a journalist for the Bay Area Reporter and other LGBTQ community publications. More recently, he spearheaded a successful campaign to save and renovate the Castro Country Club for the queer recovery community and co-founded the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District. He holds an MFA in playwriting from San Francisco State University. Beswick has been named a Community Grand Marshal for the 50th Anniversary San Francisco LGBTQ Pride Parade and Celebration in 2020.
Harry Breaux volunteered as a Shanti emotional support counselor during the AIDs crisis, confronting the stigma of shame often appearing as hatred, grief and anger in his clients. Being HIV-positive since 1980, he offered emotional support, healing and heart. Now as a long-term survivor, he continues to speak out and defend the less fortunate and disenfranchised by volunteering in various advocacy and social groups such as ET 50+ and HIV Advocacy Networks (SFAF), Castro Ambassadors and as a GLBT Historical Society Museum docent.
Vincent Crisostomo is a queer Chamorro man who has been living with HIV for over 30 years. Currently he is the program manager of the Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network, a program of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation that supports gay, bisexual, and trans men age 50 and older, inclusive of people who are HIV-negative and those living with HIV. Having been active in the LGBTQ community for over 35 years, he served as a Community Grand Marshal of San Francisco Pride in 2019 after winning the popular vote.
Eric C. Wat is a writer and a community historian. He is the author of The Making of a Gay Asian Community: An Oral History of Pre-AIDS Los Angeles (2002) and is working on Sex Positive, a follow-up history about AIDS activism in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. His novel SWIM about drug addiction and family caregiving was published last year by The Permanent Press.
Sammie Ablaza Wills is an enthusiastic organizer with a vivid love for justice and strategy. Growing up in a hustling-class Pilipinx immigrant household in Las Vegas, Sammie was shaped by the cultural resilience, joy and trauma of their community. Currently, Sammie is the executive director of APIENC, a grassroots organization building power for transgender and queer Asian and Pacific Islander people in the Bay Area. In their role they support hundreds of community members to organize for rights, build intergenerational connections, and heal for trans justice.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
This event will take place online. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a link and instructions on how to join the Zoom webinar as an attendee.
Attendees will be able to participate as a virtual audience by asking questions, participating in polls and chatting with one another and panelists.
We will also be livestreaming this event on the GLBT Historical Society YouTube channel and linking to the video on social media.
ADMISSION
Free | Suggested donation of $5.00
Register online here: https://bit.ly/34qUCwI
The event is limited to 500 attendees.
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