The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
#I'mWithHer
Nancy P has always been my friend, even years before I was conceived apparently. In fact, there were virtually No Friends during that time period. And this was literally decades before "pandering" remotely became a mainstream thing. The least I could do is create this thread for her.
I'd say this is pretty fucking decent, but of course.
If Reagan had put partisan politics and homophobia aside and argued that one’s sexual orientation does not justify suffering and death, who knows how the course of the epidemic, gay rights, and American History may have been altered. The slogan “Silence = Death,” coined by Gran Fury, an art/activist collective within the broader New York City chapter of ACT UP, was not merely a catchy and provocative saying. For Ronald Reagan’s silence literally resulted in thousands of American deaths at the hands of indifferent and unmoved politicians and government institutions.
There was, however, a politician who was ready to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic head on: Nancy Pelosi, a newly-minted member of the House of Representatives from California’s 5th district. A 47-year-old Catholic mother of five known for her stylish suits and signature Tahitian pearl necklaces, Pelosi, on the surface, seemed an unlikely champion for those impacted by AIDS. Yet in her first House floor speech, delivered on June 9th of 1987, Pelosi addressed the epidemic, going so far as to state that she had come to Congress to fight AIDS.
Informed by San Francisco’s community-centered response to the epidemic, Pelosi helped to secure HIV/AIDS funding for her home district and other care, research, and prevention initiatives such as expanding access to Medicaid for people with HIV/AIDS and increasing funding for the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act. White, a teenager from Indiana who contracted HIV in 1984 from a blood transfusion for hemophilia, was an advocate for AIDS research until his death in 1990. The largest federally funded program for persons with HIV/AIDS, the act sought to improve the availability of care for those living with the disease who were low income or uninsured and their families.
Pelosi also played an important role in the conception of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Envisioned by San Francisco activist and Harvey Milk protegee Cleve Jones, the Quilt drew upon the medium of folk art to commemorate the lives of those who had died of AIDS. The idea for the quilt was born when, during a 1985 candlelight march to commemorate the assassinations of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, Jones asked marchers to write the names of loved ones lost to the epidemic on squares of cardboard that were then taped to the walls of the San Francisco Federal Building.
Jones knew he needed assistance from San Francisco’s new Congressional representative, Nancy Pelosi, though he initially feared approaching her because he had campaigned for her Democratic primary challenger, Supervisor Harry Britt. Pelosi readily agreed, but was skeptical. “Cleve,” she said, “I actually know how to sew and enjoy it, but do you really think people will find the time to do this?” (OUT). But Jones had faith in the vision he glimpsed that night outside the candlelit Federal Building and pushed ahead.
The NAMES Project, however, immediately chafed against both the organizers of the march, who were not enthused by the idea of draping the National Mall in fabric, and the National Parks Service, who feared the Quilt would kill the Mall’s carefully manicured lawn. Pelosi said she would take care of the National Parks Service if Jones could convince the gay community to get on board. In a move that demonstrated her political savvy, she humorously told the Parks Service that volunteers would “fluff” the Quilt panels every hour so the underlying grass could breathe. The Second National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights drew around 500,000 people and, thanks to Pelosi’s efforts, the NAMES Project was able to unfold 1,920 Quilt panels, representing more than 20,000 Americans who had lost their lives to AIDS or AIDS-related causes.
Her most significant contribution to AIDS advocacy, however, may be her leadership in the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), colloquially known as “Obamacare.” The ACA had significant impact on the lives of persons with HIV/AIDS, increasing access to Medicare and ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and annual and lifetime caps on health benefits. Her continued defense of the ACA is an extension of her 30 years of leadership on HIV/AIDS. Chris Collins, a former Pelosi staffer and director of public policy for amFAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research), remarked that Pelosi is “the greatest AIDS advocate I’ve ever known in my life” (Advocate).
Boom.
The NAMES Project Memorial Quilt is an enormous memorial to the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. It was officially started in 1987 when thousands did not receive funerals due to both social stigma and the outright refusal by many cemeteries and funeral homes to handle their remains. Lacking a memorial service or grave site, the quilt was often the only opportunity people had to celebrate and remember their loved ones' lives. The goal of the project is to increase awareness of how massive the HIV/AIDS pandemic really is, and to bring support to those affected by it. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece of community folk art in the world.
That’s kinda sad. She could have worked with the most willing president against China. She spent the last four years doing everything she could to stymie him
