A dentist who refused to treat an HIV positive patient

Dentist Randon Bragdon refused to fill a cavity for Sidney Abbott, saying that he was worried that he would get HIV. His lawyers claimed in court that, since Abbott didn't have AIDS, she didn't qualify for protections under the ADA, which defines a disability as something that limits "major life activities."

The Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 decision in Bragdon v. Abbott that symptoms aren't necessary for protection under the ADA  because procreation and sexual relations count as "major life activities." 

1993

The CDC revised its definition of AIDS symptoms to include gynecological symptoms in 1993, after years of protest from women with HIV and female medical professionals. Prior to then, the CDC's symptoms had accounted for symptoms found in gay men, hemophiliacs, and infants born with HIV. Women activists blamed numerous U.S. federal health agencies for refusing to fund studies into women with HIV and then continuing to exclude female symptoms due to a lack of research data. As a result, before 1993, women with HIV were unable to access disability benefits related to the virus.

Bone marrow transplant

Patients who have received this type of treatment did so due to having developed cancer. In February of this year, "strong evidence" showed a man known as the “Düsseldorf patient” was cured of the virus after a bone marrow transplant intended to treat leukemia in 2013. The procedure replaced his bone marrow cells with those of a donor with a mutated gene for the CCR5 protein, which is found in white blood cells. HIV uses the protein to enter the cell, but it cannot attach to the mutated version.

Nanotechnology

Jui-Lin Chen, 32, is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in pediatrics at New York’s Weill Cornell Medical College, where he and colleagues explore the use of nanomaterials to research the elusive HIV vaccine. In vaccines, nanomaterials may help increase immunity against a target pathogen and stabilize antigens. According to Chen, the novel technology has become increasingly popular in immunology circles over the past decade.

Randy Shilts' non-fiction book "And the Band Played On"

PrEP

Commonly known as pre-exposure prophylactics, PrEP is taken by hundreds of thousands of U.S. men who have sex with other men. PrEP is so effective that Amsterdam, which has heavily invested in PrEP, only had nine new cases of HIV reported in 2022.

To oppose the local cardinal's homophobia and opposition to condoms

The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) held its "Stop the Church" protest to oppose Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor's homophobia as well as his opposition to safe-sex education in schools and condom distribution. The protesters blew whistles, chanted slogans, chained themselves to pews, and threw condoms in the air — resulting in 111 arrests and condemnation by the church and some gay community members.

George W. Bush

In his memoirs, Bush wrote that he and his wife, Laura Bush, read Alex Haley's Roots and visited The Gambia in 1990, both of which led to them developing an interest in helping improve conditions in Africa. Later, Condoleeza Rice got him interested in fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

PEPFAR has provided around $90 billion in funding for treatment, prevention, and research on HIV/AIDS since it was started in 2003.

In 2017, Bush urged Donald Trump to not cut funds to PEPFAR.

All of these

After his AIDS diagnosis in October 1981, Campbell — a nurse — decided to raise awareness by becoming an "AIDS Poster Boy," sharing his experience, providing medical advice, and putting a face to the epidemic. He later joined the drag nun community service group, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. With them, he co-wrote the first known safe-sex manual. He then later co-founded the People with AIDS movement, which encouraged AIDS patients to fight for their own dignity. He appeared many times in media and spoke publicly about AIDS until his 1984 death at age 32.

Red ribbon

The red ribbon was developed by artists in New York City in 1991 to raise awareness about HIV. The red ribbon, which takes visual inspiration from the yellow ribbons people used to support the U.S. military during the Gulf War, became one of the most recognizable symbols in the country and was used by celebrities and politicians to show their support for people living with HIV and to raise awareness about the epidemic.