Activist with fist raised in the air

When the Conference Heard From the Street:

Scenes from the 6th International Conference on Aids, 1990
26 June - 10 October 2021
Skylight Gallery - 6th Floor
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In June 1990, in conjunction with the Sixth International Conference on AIDS, the streets of San Francisco erupted with thousands of activists demanding that governments, health care providers, and drug companies do more to help people living with HIV and slow the burgeoning AIDS epidemic.

Photographer Rick Gerharter was in the streets and inside the conference hall with ACT UP and other activists, documenting their demonstrations. This exhibit features a selection of Gerharter's photographs. Text by veteran HIV journalists Liz Highleyman and Tim Kingston sets the stage for the protests, with comments from participants and conference organizers.


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For more resources, the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center is the gateway to the Library’s broader collections documenting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual history and culture, with a special emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area.