The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in America was a huge crisis during the 1900s. Not knowing the true nature of AIDS, the society and policy makers simply alienated Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive population. The stigma of AIDS exacerbated existing problems of prejudice and social inequity. However, Mary Fisher’s inspiring speech cleverly titled, “A Whisper of AIDS,” effectively promoted awareness of HIV and AIDS throughout the United States, and brought a change to a public policy on AIDS related issues.
Her speech demonstrates the role of activist in shaping public policy in 1900s. The human immune system disorder now known as AIDS was first identified in the United States in 1981. A number of gay men in New York and California suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome. By the end of 1996, over 379,258 American men, women, and children lost their lives to AIDS according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Initially AIDS epidemic were defined by “the ‘Four H’s” of the disease risk groups-homosexuals, heroin addicts, hemophiliacs, and Haitians. Since none of these groups was a part of the social mainstream, it was easy for society to overlook their suffering or to create bizarre explanations for it. People widely believed that these groups of infected people were victims of God’s Wrath. The burdens faced by communities already struggling with discrimination, poverty, a lack of health care, and drug addiction have increased incrementally in the wake of this disease.
The vast numbers of HIV cases in these communities have provoked fear and contempt among the politically powerful rather than mobilize them to develop adequate resources for essential medical research and necessary systems of care. Ultimately, the AIDS epidemic forced all institutions of American society to establish discriminatory policies towards HIV positive population such as military rules that bans HIV-positive people from enlisting, or a Philadelphia church that posts a sign indicating that those with HIV are not welcome to worship there. The government response to HIV/AIDS was a silence.
Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush rarely mentioned the epidemic. Many federal programs still actively discriminated against persons with AIDS by 1990. However during the 1992 Republican National Convention, the HIV-positive woman name Mary Fisher spoke out for the AIDS crises. As a daughter of Max Fisher, the wealthy and powerful Republican fund raiser and the honorary chairman of the Bush-Quayle National Finance Committee, she knew she could bring home the reality of AIDS to people in positions of power and influence in a way that few others could.
She stood in front of the Republicans to tell the audience: “If you believe you are safe, you are in danger. ” Previous speeches that night were given by Pat Buchanan and Dan Quayle, and their speeches attacked homosexuals, single moms, the inner city poor, people that are not typically Republican. This set a negative tone before Mary Fisher gave her speech on AIDS. However, when she began speaking of AIDS and even used herself as a living example, a 44 year old white woman from a wealthy background, and a mother of two was HIV positive, the RNC audience became more receptive, because she was part of the audiences “herd”.
As Mary Fisher stated, she was not gay, she did not inject drugs, she was not hemophiliac, but she still had AIDS. Mary Fisher humanized AIDS victims by reminding the audience that God made people which we are to have compassion on, this is where Mary Fisher gets one of her first big applause. Since she has exposed that it can happen to Republicans, people like her, the once hostile audience of right wing republicans began to pay closer attention to the issue she brought up. This courageous speech she gave made her become of the top the activists in the country.
The same message as Mary Fisher’s speech was delivered by Democratic National Convention speaker Elizabeth Glaser, the wife of actor-director Paul Michael Glaser. Mrs. Glaser, who contracted the deadly virus from a blood transfusion, passed the virus on to both of her children; a daughter died of AIDS four years ago. She was a friend of Mary and they both wanted the country to pay attention to AIDS crises. Although they gave speech in different political parties, since they thought AIDS crises is a human issue, not a political issue, they both avoid criticizing each other’s party.
But Mrs. Glaser did express her feelings about the message she hoped Mary would deliver at the Republican convention: “It is important that [Mary Fisher] not let the Republican Party off the hook, because they have not done what they need to do. ” And in the republican convention, Mary Fisher didn’t let her party off the hook. A lifelong Republican, Mary who was the first female “advance man” in Gerald R. Ford’s White House, successfully emphasized that AIDS is “our” disease, not “theirs.
” Significant accomplishments on passing AIDS crisis can be attributed to the actions of AIDS activists, including Mary Fisher. They showed their strength as a citizen to change the public policy and shaped the society for the better. Along with Mary’s speech, accomplishment of AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is a good example of influential activist movement. ACT UP is a diverse, nonpartisan group united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. ACT UP, the organization, does exactly what its name says.
It does demonstrations, and acts in such a way that the authorities (and in this case we mean government officials, researchers, politicians, the church and the law) feel is inappropriate but ultimately accomplishes its goal by bringing into focus the problems which they are unwilling or afraid to address. Members meet with government and health officials; they research and distribute the latest medical information; they protest and demonstrate. The most important aspect of ACT UP’s activities, demonstration, has many aspects.
There is the actual demonstration, with banners and signs and yelling and people marching around looking angry and getting angry. One key element of visual public demonstration is the group’s ubiquitous logo, “Silence= Death,” printed in white letters under a pink triangle. There is usually some sort of illegal activity which demonstrators do in order to get arrested. The act of breaking the law is a very important aspect of this process. This lawlessness gets the media coverage.
The news reports call attention to the issue. To this day, it is easy to hear news about ACT UP AIDS protesters arrested during the protest. No matter what method they used, activists never remained silent, and that’s what made a difference to this society. As a result of many efforts on raising awareness and appealing to the political party, government’s commitment to developing a national health care policy had revolutionary implications for the health care delivery system in the United States as a whole.
There was a huge increase in federal spending for HIV-related care and services- from $193 million in 1986 to S3. 8 billion in 1996. Furthermore, ACT UP protests successfully lowered the price of AIDS medicine, educated many people about safe sex and using condoms, allowed many HIV positive people to have insurance, shortened the drug approval process of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to provide life-saving drugs more quickly to patients. It is easy to think that common individuals cannot form public policies or change the society.
However, AIDS activists of 1990 demonstrate how a group of people with same interest can make huge differences in government’s policy making and society’s attitude toward them. They also highlight that one must speak out in order to protect his or her right.
Bibliography
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