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“I don't understand why I'm not dead. When your heart breaks, you should die.”
— Tony Kushner, "Angels in America"
STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood, California:
Remembers those we lost, those who survived, the protests and vigils, the caregivers
Celebrates those who step up when others step away
Educates future generations through lessons learned
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STORIES
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Behind every statistic of the AIDS epidemic are thousands of people whose stories continue to teach and inspire.
Explore the stories by clicking on the words.
Community
Stigma
Love
Compassion
Sacrifice
Loss
Pain
Pride
Courage
Shame
Hope
Injustice
Despair
Dedication
Suffering
Artistry
Family
Friendship
Isolation
Helplessness
Leadership
Activism
Devastation
Fear
Legacy
Caregiving
Inspiration
Resilience
Strength
Rage
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Audio Tour
Photo © Chuck Stallard
“Someday this plague will be over and we will survive as people to tell the tales. Don't forget to tell how much we honored life. Don't forget to tell how hard many of us fought for it. Remember our heroes and heroines.”
Connie Norman, Trans and ACT UP/LA Activist.
Norman died of AIDS in 1996 at age 47.
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Connie Norman
Connie Norman, self-described “AIDS diva,” was a transgender activist and the Director of Public Policy at the AIDS Service Center in Pasadena. Upon her death in 1996, her ashes were scattered on the White House lawn as part of ACT UP’s “Ashes Action,” a fitting coda to her enduring legacy as a groundbreaking activist.
“Someday this plague will be over and we will survive as people to tell the tales. Don’t forget to tell how much we honored life. Don’t forget to tell how hard many of us fought for it. Life is and has always been precious to us and our community’s response to this plague proves it… Remember our heroes and heroines.”
Photo by Robert Giard © Estate of Robert Giard
“They don’t know we are becoming powerful. Every time we kiss we confirm the new world coming.”
Essex Hemphill, Gay American poet and activist.
From “Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry”.
Hemphill died of AIDS in 1995 at age 38.
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Essex Hemphill
Poet, performer and activist Essex Hemphill’s exceptional work gave voice to the experiences of the African-American gay community. Never shying away from the frank and the political, Hemphill’s creative genius endures in his poetry and writing, as well as through his involvement in seminal films such as “Tongues Untied.”
“They don’t know we are becoming powerful. Every time we kiss we confirm the new world coming.”
Photo by Chuck Stallard. Courtesy of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.
“Silence = Death
Action = Life.”
Action = Life.”
ACT UP Campaigns, 1987-1995
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ACT UP Campaigns
ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, is an international grassroots activist organization devoted to improving the lives of people with AIDS through direct action.
Their bold and brave work directly influenced legislation and policy, from lowering the price of medicines to speeding up drug trials and approval process to including women and people of color in medical trials. Many of their actions – like the die-in at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the covering of Jesse Helms’ home with a giant condom – are remembered as iconic moments in activism. ACT UP continues to fight, currently focusing on such issues as PrEP for All and the decriminalization of sex work and drug use.
“Silence = Death
Action = Life.”
Photo courtesy of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
“My daughter lived seven years, and in her last year, when she couldn't walk or talk, her wisdom shone through. She taught me to love, when all I wanted to do was hate...”
Elizabeth Glaser, AIDS Activist and Child Advocate.
Her daughter died of AIDS in 1988 at age 7.
Glaser died of AIDS in 1994 at age 47.
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Elizabeth Glaser
Elizabeth Glaser contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, passing the infection on to her children. Determined to help other children, she co-founded the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in 1988, which has been crucial in tackling pediatric and juvenile HIV / AIDS. Among her most memorable moments of activism was her speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, in which she spoke passionately about underfunding and inequality in AIDS research and treatment.
“My daughter lived seven years, and in her last year, when she couldn’t walk or talk, her wisdom shone through. She taught me to love, when all I wanted to do was hate. She taught me to help others, when all I wanted to do was help myself. She taught me to be brave, when all I felt was fear. My daughter and I loved each other with simplicity. America, we can do the same.”
Photo by Robert Giard © Estate of Robert Giard
“Go without hate, but not without rage. Heal the world.”
Paul Monette, West Hollywood author.
Paul died of AIDS in 1995 at age 49.
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Paul Monette
Paul Monette’s activism endures through his groundbreaking and personal writing, in which he chronicled his coming out, his relationship, and his experience with HIV/AIDS with bracing humanity. He is the recipient of the National Book Award for Nonfiction for his memoir “Becoming a Man,” and the founder of the Monette-Horwitz Trust, which supports LGBTQ activism and scholarship.
“Go without hate, but not without rage. Heal the world.”
Photo by Robert Giard © Estate of Robert Giard
“I see my life as a series of facades, each layer an erosion… And what is left after my body torn down, is my soul.”
Gil Cuadros, American gay poet, essayist, and ceramist.
From “Conquering Immortality” in City of God.
Gil died of AIDS in 1996 at age 34.
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Gil Cuadros
When the writer and ceramist Gil Cuadros was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, he was given six months to live. He lived for eight more years, stating that writing saved his life. Cuadros’ passion is evident in his groundbreaking work, which gives voice to the gay Chicano experience.
“I see my life as a series of facades, each layer an erosion… And what is left after my body torn down, is my soul.”
Remember &
Celebrate
“My grandmother was a woman beyond her years.”
“My grandmother was a woman beyond her years.”
“My intention in presenting these works is to provoke my community into action.”
“My intention in presenting these works is to provoke my community into action.”
”I never told my mom I was gay and she did not know. Lying there in my “deathbed,” I believed my mom would abandon me. She did not.”
”I never told my mom I was gay and she did not know. Lying there in my “deathbed,” I believed my mom would abandon me. She did not.”
“Each moment I spent in the creative space with Howard Ashman remains with me every day of my life.”
“Each moment I spent in the creative space with Howard Ashman remains with me every day of my life.”
”There was never any question in my mind about leaving the man I loved because of a test result or its ramifications. At that moment, Rick was healthy and we were happy. Love doesnʼt end based on a test result.”
”There was never any question in my mind about leaving the man I loved because of a test result or its ramifications. At that moment, Rick was healthy and we were happy. Love doesnʼt end based on a test result.”
“Does it really matter what disease you contracted or what you died of OR how pure your heart is and how deep you loved? They deserve respect and honor and I give them that till we meet again my angels. Love Big and Love Deep.”
“Does it really matter what disease you contracted or what you died of OR how pure your heart is and how deep you loved? They deserve respect and honor and I give them that till we meet again my angels. Love Big and Love Deep.”
“My Uncle told me that there was no shame in who I was, that yes, life will be hard but that it’s okay to be who I am. To stand tall as a gay man.”
“My Uncle told me that there was no shame in who I was, that yes, life will be hard but that it’s okay to be who I am. To stand tall as a gay man.”
“I am grateful for how hard to she fought to live long enough to help me grow into the almost woman I was when she died. I will miss her forever.”
“I am grateful for how hard to she fought to live long enough to help me grow into the almost woman I was when she died. I will miss her forever.”
"If I didn't play any song that reminded anyone of AIDS, there would be no music to be played.”
"If I didn't play any song that reminded anyone of AIDS, there would be no music to be played.”
“We must honor all these brave men and women. We must never forget they were here.”
“We must honor all these brave men and women. We must never forget they were here.”
”I am here and I am present and I am fully awake. And I love my life and I am married to the greatest human on the planet and I have spirits around me that bathe me in light.”
”I am here and I am present and I am fully awake. And I love my life and I am married to the greatest human on the planet and I have spirits around me that bathe me in light.”
“I think back to the scared little boy who met Peter and now know you can’t ever be too much of yourself. Peter taught me that.”
“I think back to the scared little boy who met Peter and now know you can’t ever be too much of yourself. Peter taught me that.”
"My mom always talked about the incredible smile Manolo had. I like to think he looks down and smiles at a whole new generation that are living their lives loud and proud and open...”
"My mom always talked about the incredible smile Manolo had. I like to think he looks down and smiles at a whole new generation that are living their lives loud and proud and open...”
“I really miss Demian desperately and I also miss dancing the Bill T. Jones master work, “D-Man in the Waters”. It was a tribute to Demian and to so many of the other people we lost.”
“I really miss Demian desperately and I also miss dancing the Bill T. Jones master work, “D-Man in the Waters”. It was a tribute to Demian and to so many of the other people we lost.”
“I got here for Lawrence. He wanted me to thrive, not just survive. But as I came away I thought of something else. I didn’t get here by forgetting. I came here by way of remembering too.”
“I got here for Lawrence. He wanted me to thrive, not just survive. But as I came away I thought of something else. I didn’t get here by forgetting. I came here by way of remembering too.”
“Mark not only shaped my adolescence, he shaped my ministry because I vowed to welcome all in the Church and celebrate that all — especially those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- are created in God's image because my friend, Mark, was created in God's image!”
“Mark not only shaped my adolescence, he shaped my ministry because I vowed to welcome all in the Church and celebrate that all — especially those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- are created in God's image because my friend, Mark, was created in God's image!”
”Assotto Saint was a poet, publisher and performance artist who died of AIDS in New York City. He was 36 years old.“
”Assotto Saint was a poet, publisher and performance artist who died of AIDS in New York City. He was 36 years old.“
“She was dying of a terminal illness, already a year into her death march.”
“She was dying of a terminal illness, already a year into her death march.”
“This was the first infant to die from AIDS in NYC.”
“This was the first infant to die from AIDS in NYC.”
“In our extremely privileged community the stigma is more dangerous than the disease. We still have a lot of fighting to do for the people who don’t have the privilege of cost effective medication.”
“In our extremely privileged community the stigma is more dangerous than the disease. We still have a lot of fighting to do for the people who don’t have the privilege of cost effective medication.”
“I am coming out as a woman with AIDS because a lot of lesbians still think that they cannot get AIDS and I’m here to say that this can and did happen.”
“I am coming out as a woman with AIDS because a lot of lesbians still think that they cannot get AIDS and I’m here to say that this can and did happen.”
“Jaime was the only man I ever fell in love with. He was insanely beautiful, inside and out.”
“Jaime was the only man I ever fell in love with. He was insanely beautiful, inside and out.”
“Existence is a circle. Death sweeps the person back from where he came. Death is not an end.”
“Existence is a circle. Death sweeps the person back from where he came. Death is not an end.”
“Every young man in ballet for future generations will be indebted to the mark that Rudolf Nureyev made on the art form. He has shaped the way we will craft our art forever.”
“Every young man in ballet for future generations will be indebted to the mark that Rudolf Nureyev made on the art form. He has shaped the way we will craft our art forever.”
“We were all walking on thin ice.”
“We were all walking on thin ice.”
“Burke, who played for the Dodgers and Athletics, was the first and only MLB player to come out as gay during his career and the first to acknowledge it publicly.”
“Burke, who played for the Dodgers and Athletics, was the first and only MLB player to come out as gay during his career and the first to acknowledge it publicly.”
“My dad was in the hospital on the brink of death when we discovered he'd been living a double life for 27 of the 37 years he'd been married to my mom and that he was infected with AIDS. Three weeks later, we found out he’d infected my mother.”
“My dad was in the hospital on the brink of death when we discovered he'd been living a double life for 27 of the 37 years he'd been married to my mom and that he was infected with AIDS. Three weeks later, we found out he’d infected my mother.”
“This is my tribute to those who were alone. They had no friends and no family. I miss all of you and I continue to remember you and love you.”
“This is my tribute to those who were alone. They had no friends and no family. I miss all of you and I continue to remember you and love you.”
”I loved him for his passion and authenticity and I remember him for his deep love for queer people everywhere, especially those living with HIV.“
”I loved him for his passion and authenticity and I remember him for his deep love for queer people everywhere, especially those living with HIV.“
“He was Tanya Ransom, a drag queen. He was Michael Norman, an artist, educator and playwright. And he was a patient. And he was my father.”
“He was Tanya Ransom, a drag queen. He was Michael Norman, an artist, educator and playwright. And he was a patient. And he was my father.”
Special thanks to @TheAIDSMemorial on Instagram for preserving the legacy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic with stories of love, loss and remembrance. @TheAIDSMemorial #whatisrememberedlives
STORIES:
The AIDS Monument
The AIDS Monument
The land for this Monument was donated by the City of West Hollywood where, during the height of the crisis, 1981-1996, the City suffered a devastating toll, losing thousands of its residents to the plague.
As of 2020, AIDS has killed approximately 725,000 people in the United States, more than all of the Americans who died in World Wars I and II combined.
Globally, through the end of 2019, AIDS has killed over 32.7 million people.
The Monument will be located on San Vincente Blvd., just north of the West Hollywood Library, and across from the Pacific Design Center.
The AIDS epidemic
is not over.
is not over.
Tens of thousands of Americans are infected with HIV each year, and many still die of AIDS. Stigma against those with HIV persists. Income inequality and the lack of equal access to health care remain the greatest obstacles to life-saving treatment for the most vulnerable Americans.
This Monument reminds us to never forget our history and inspires us to continue to fight for equal access to quality health care, for expanded civil rights, and for a cure.
Photo courtesy of Donald Ragland
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