LOGLINE 

In the Shadow of AIDS explores the ways women of Generation X were affected by the AIDS crisis. What happened to a generation that didn’t see a future? This documentary is a story of adaptability during the height of the global AIDS epidemic, told through the experiences of three women. 

STORY

In 1980, HIV/AIDS appeared in the United States gay male population, but the virus was not isolated until 1983. The first cases of HIV as we know it in the United States occurred in major metropolitan cities among white gay male populations, and rural communities received little information or support.

1995 experienced more AIDS-related deaths than any other year. The intensity of the deaths drove people into action, as well as fear. The queer community was devastated. In San Francisco, LGBTQ attended funerals weekly as their friends died around them. Lesbians became hospice caregivers for gay men ostracized by their families. The hospitals were full. Grief was ever-present. Many, if not most, young queers believed they would die. What happened to this generation that didn’t see a future?

The overwhelming majority of historical AIDS media narrows in on white cis gay men in the 1980s. In the Shadow of AIDS focuses on what came after the onset of AIDS with a lens on the underrepresented voices of women.

In the Shadow of AIDS explores the ways the women of Generation X were affected by the AIDS crisis, the differences experienced by older generations, and hints at the parallels drawn between the US government’s response to AIDS and COVID-19. 

In the Shadow of AIDS is a story about Generation X navigating the height of the AIDS Epidemic in the US. During the height of the AIDS epidemic, the LGBTQ population faced a homophobic backlash. There was a sense of urgency, but the government took no action until over 100,000 people died. Grassroots organizations like ACT UP led the movement to end AIDS. 

The LGBTQ community faced extreme stigmatization. People were afraid to touch LGBTQ for fear of “catching it.” Gay men, sex workers, and IV drug users were considered disposable. The Black community experienced, and continues to experience, an additional layer of stigma and barriers to care. Community members were dying from a bloodborne disease; skin-to-skin contact was less frequent. As a means of harm reduction, LGBTQ turned to alternative means of sexual intimacy.

In response to the lack of action from the US government, musicians used the stage as a platform to spread awareness, offer safer sex supplies, and raise funds for AIDS research. Harm reduction centers offered on-site HIV testing, STI education, safer sex information, safer drug use education, clean needles, sharps containers, free condoms, and other latex barriers. These services save lives and are used by people from all walks of society.

The sexual landscape, rampant homophobia, profound grief, loss of community elders, and grassroots organizing influenced the experiences of the women of Generation X.