How to Survive a Plague

Welcome to ACT UP!

We are the AIDS coalition

to unleash power.

A diverse non-partisan group

of individuals united in anger

and committed to direct action to...

...end the AIDS crisis!

Less than 12 hours from now,

we are going to be taking over

city hall!

ACT UP, fight back, fight AIDS!

Yes?

Mr. mayor, in campaigning for

the lesbian and gay vote in an

election year, a bit of

historical context is necessary

in dealing with the AIDS

crisis in New York City.

It wasn't until 1983 that you met with

people to deal with the AIDS crisis.

- How do you respond to these criticisms?

- That is a falsehood.

Please, anybody who's thinking

about being arrested,

fill out a support sheet, make

sure your support person knows

who you are and what

group you're in... yeah?

If we end up in the tombs,

is there like, a queer tank

there and would you recommend

that we ask to be there?

There is a homo-tank and

I've been there and it's

better than the straight

tank, let me tell you.

Who else? Yes?

In the past, you've described act

up as fascist, yet in the press

release, you called them

"concerned citizens" and I was

wondering what

changed your mind?

Well, I don't think

you can't use both.

Fascists can be concerned

citizens and I don't believe

they are fascists, I think they

have used a fascist tactic.

Let us celebrate together

tonight, the end of the last day

on which Ed Koch can tell

himself that the communities

which are being decimated by

this epidemic are so weak and

so divided among themselves, that he can

keep serving us this kind of bullshit.

Tomorrow morning he will

begin to learn the truth!

ACT UP, stand tall, tomorrow

morning at city hall!

ACT UP, stand tall,

tomorrow morning at city hall!

ACT UP, stand tall,

tomorrow morning at city hall!

ACT UP, stand tall...

We're talking to Jim Eigo from the

treatment issues committee of ACT UP.

Jim, what specific

treatment issues are being

brought into this

demonstration this week?

The municipal hospitals are

totally falling apart.

More than half of the people

that get diagnosed with AIDS

today get diagnosed in the

emergency rooms of our city.

You're going to find yourself

waiting four days in an

emergency room before

you get a bed.

Pretty scared, but being

HIV-positive, I don't have

much choice in the matter.

I just love all these people,

and I think what we're doing is

really right and I mean, listen to

this and look at all the people.

It's just really wonderful and it's

worth putting yourself on the line for.

...there is no

accurate diagnosis.

There are incentives in the city

hospitals not to diagnose people

with AIDS and therefore,

people don't get treated.

We are angry at the way this

city has handled this crisis

and we demand that ed Koch exert leadership

and declare a state of emergency.

Go in the street now or wait,

those are the options.

- One, he says go.

- Go now.

Says now, three.

Tom?

Go now, Tom says.

We're standing here

with Larry Kramer.

What is ACT UP trying to

say today to Ed Koch?

We're sending a message to

public officials, to closeted

public officials, that we won't

be shat on anymore and obviously

all the AIDS issues.

I would love to see

like, more cameras or

something, you know, for

our own protection.

Did everyone hear his concern?

People die every day,

friends get sick every day.

It's like being in the trenches.

There's such anger in the

community and it is coalescing

in a way that has never

been done before.

Okay, which way do we face

girlfriends, this way or that way?

Healthcare is a right,

healthcare is a right!

Healthcare is a right,

healthcare is a right!

Healthcare is a right,

healthcare is a right!

Pump up the budget!

Healthcare is a right,

healthcare is a right!

You are currently in violation

of law by obstructing

vehicular pedestrian traffic.

You have the option of leaving

at this time, otherwise...

ACT UP!

Fight back!

Fight AIDS!

ACT UP!

Fight back, fight AIDS!

I guess I'm feeling pretty

helpless at the moment.

I think like, the biggest

question that I'm facing

now is how to remain hopeful in

the face of increasing loss.

I don't know, maybe it

sounds really corny but I...

As difficult as the time is for

us... I like being alive.

And I love my friends and I love

my family.

I love the people around me.

I'm going to die from this.

This isn't going to be cured

for years and years and years.

Doctor's office.

Hi, it's Peter Staley.

...it's like living in a war,

all around me, friends are

dropping dead and you're scared

for your own life, all

at the same time.

I was diagnosed with

AIDS-related complex while I was

working as a bond

trader on wall street.

I had night sweats.

I began to get dry, patchy,

scaly, itchy skin on my face.

And I would get sick constantly.

Colds would lay me up for weeks.

I started to look around in

desperation for ways that I

could find treatments to help

save my life... um... And

there was nothing coming out

of our government's efforts,

I quickly realized.

Everything I read said I had about

two years to live, at most.

- What do we want?

- A cure!

- When do we want it?

- Now!

- What do we want?

- A cure!

- When do we want it?

- Now!

- What do we want?

- A cure!

- When do we want it?

- Now!

I was on my way to work and I got

handed a flyer about act up and AIDS.

My mentor says, "if you ask me,

I think they all deserve to die

because they took it up the butt."

I was deeply closeted and I had to just

stew about it for the rest of the day.

I got myself to the very

next ACT UP meeting.

They could just tap into that

immediate anger and get stuff done.

...we will not leave until an

administrator meets with us

and tells us that St. Vincent's

is willing to make a public

statement condemning gay

and lesbian violence.

All those in favor?

All those opposed?

They're coming!

You see them right there.

You've heard about ACT UP.

You've seen our flyers.

The kiss-in happens tonight.

ACT UP!

Fight back!

Make love!

ACT UP!

Whoo, whoo!

I'll deal with the cameras.

Are you the security guard

that was beating people up?

Members of the mainstream

media were thrown out, as we

were earlier on, but Steve Zabel

and I came back in and we're

bringing you this exclusive footage.

Don't destroy property!

You're destroying property.

Well, actually you damaged

some human property last week.

You damaged people.

You will not beat up on faggots

and you will not beat up

on lesbians in hospitals

in our own community.

Two gay women were beaten up

and when her lover came to

respond... you know the story.

And another story was when two

gay guys came in, one was sick

with AIDS, the security guard

told him to get the f*** out of

here and called him "f*ggot."

I think if you're gonna work,

especially in Greenwich village,

you should have some sensitivity training,

'cause we're not gonna have it.

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