Cleve Jones Struggle Against Homosexual Rights Activism

Although the courage of many homosexual leaders and scientists were praiseworthy, the silence and resistance in the government, American public, and newspapers were far more embarrassing.

As a result of the neglect and the discrimination, many homosexuals held leadership positions, fighting fearlessly against the disease and protecting themselves as well as the majority. In San Francisco, gay community politicians raised awareness through numerous ways. Although the disease initiated within the gay community, by 1982, it had spread into the non-gay community, which led to public panic and many to blame homosexuals for introducing the disease. In September of 1981, he helped organize a community forum on AIDS in San Francisco that was covered
For example, people faced discrimination by losing their apartments if the landlords found out they had AIDS. As the disease spread, the unfair scrutiny of homosexuals led to heightened gay rights activism. By the time, gay activist Cleve Jones was forming committees to educate the public. Jones became so enraged that he turned a memorial march for Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, into an activist march on November 27, 1985. It was during
He hope that it would change the public opinion about AIDS, as well as about gays and lesbians (Dent). Jones believed that “HIV was seen as the product of aggressive gay male sexuality, and it seemed that the homey image and familial associations of a warm quilt would counter that”. In 1987 he started the quilt with his friend Joseph Durant. Their attempt to inform and educate the public about the disease was a successful one. On October 11, 1987, the Quilt was displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It covered