Not Our First Time at the Rodeo: Looking to LGBTQ History for Guidance in a Pandemic

by Terry Beswick

A big part of our job here at the GLBT Historical Society is to explain why history matters. Rarely are we presented with a clearer illustration than the COVID-19 pandemic.

Much virtual ink has already been spilled about the similarities and differences between the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics, and while these are interesting thought experiments, I don’t want to indulge too deeply in disease Olympics.

We had a lot of that in the 1980s and 1990s when conservatives would attempt to diminish the significance of AIDS mortality rates by comparing them to other diseases such as cancer, heart disease, tuberculosis or malaria. Research advocates for other diseases would occasionally grow alarmed at the amount of funding directed to HIV/AIDS. In my role as an advocate for AIDS research, I recall countering with arguments about Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL), a measure of a disease’s human and economic toll. It was a grim exercise.

Hard-Won Lessons

So maybe let’s not compare too much. But at the same time, let’s not forget the hard-won lessons of the AIDS pandemic that many of us witnessed from the front lines. Starting tonight, we are bringing back our “Fighting Back” forums. Initiated three years ago, the series brings together historians and other expert panelists to discuss a contemporary issue in an historical context. We hope to stimulate an intergenerational and intersectional exchange of experiences and ideas that will inform the most pressing issues of the day. For the foreseeable future, the topic will be COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. The series will take place online weekly.

Each forum will focus on just one of the many areas where the fight against COVID-19 might benefit from a look back at the lessons learned in the fight against HIV. As with our in-person forums, audience members will be invited to comment or ask questions after the panel discussion. Tonight, veterans of ACT UP groups in San Francisco, including Gerard Koskovich, Brenda Lein, Lito Sandoval and Matt Sharp, will examine the issues of direct action and government response to COVID-19. Next week, we’ll talk about artistic responses to HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.

A New Paradigm

Like many nonprofit organizations and businesses, the GLBT Historical Society is working quickly to adapt to the new paradigm of remote work, learning and communication during this historic moment. And yet, this is not our first time at the rodeo. We are a strong and resilient people and, if nothing else, we know how to adapt to new circumstances. Our amazing staff has been working hard to move our exhibitions, events and archival research programs online, and I am so proud of the progress we have made in two short weeks.

Thank you to everyone who visited our 35th anniversary party page on our website, and especially to everyone who made a donation to keep our work going in this moment of crisis. Be assured that your support sustains us, and helps ensure that our community’s greatest treasure, our archives, will be protected and preserved.

There is so much more in the works as we focus on sharing our history and keeping you connected as we all shelter in place. If you have ideas or resources that you would like to share, please write to me. In the meantime, please be safe and watch this newsletter and our social-media channels for the latest developments, as we continue working to bridge the gap between our knowledge of the past and the challenges of the present.

Terry Beswick is executive director of the GLBT Historical Society.