AIDS Buyers’ Clubs: Illicit Activism During Legal Inactivity
By Hailee Bilimoria Originally published March 22, 2018 In the early 1980s in the United States (US), what was deemed the world’s “new plague” caused the death of thousands and instilled fear into the lives of millions (Hanks et al.). Throughout US history, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) sentiments changed drastically, partly due to the story of Ryan White. In 1984, at the age of 13, hemophiliac Ryan White found out that he contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, through one of his frequent and necessary blood transfusions. Once diagnosed, Ryan was faced with excessive discrimination in his community (“Ryan White”). With misconceptions about the disease running high, many did not want Ryan to attend public school alongside the other children (Hanks et al.). Even when the Indiana State Board of Health stated it was completely safe, the school board, teachers, and even the principal continually fought to keep him out. Obs...
