The film I watched for this week’s discussion was United In Anger. It gives us a detailed explanation of what happened during the AIDS epidemic along with raw visuals showing real stories of the people who lived through this period. One group we are introduced to in the film is ACT UP also known as The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. We see the major efforts from ACT UP as they fight against negligence from the United States government, social indifferences, and corporate greed. Throughout the film, we hear a lot about how there was no information. The news was not highlighting anything about AIDS, and the topic was heavily avoided by most people. The government was not recognizing this as a serious matter and inherently neglecting the thousands who were affected by this epidemic. Those who had AIDS were seen as outcasts, and that made it hard for people to come out as positive. One man during the film stated that most people thought “It was gay people and junkies getting what they deserved”. People in power did not care about the lives of those who were affected by this virus. Voices of the people helped spread knowledge and forced the government to listen to their requests. Activism requires effort from all sides and utilizes creativity to grab the attention of those who refuse to listen. After reflecting on How To Think Like an Activist and United In Anger, I started to see that activism provides a safe space for like minded people to come together and share their ideas, creativity, and strength in order to create real change.
As stated in my reading reflection for this week, I attended many BLM marches during the summer of 2020. When I walked with thousands of people from all over the five boroughs, I felt the energy radiating around me and I loved how it felt to be a part of something bigger than myself. We were all fighting not only for our voices to be heard, but for justice to the victims and families affected by police brutality. We discussed in our previous readings about gender norms and how transgender people are not seen enough in society. I would love to learn more about health care practices that surround this community. Transgender people deserve the attention and care from doctors like anyone else and I think it’s important for them to be recognized and respected in the medical world. For transgender people there is a lack of medical providers who are knowledgeable on the topic. This complicated other factors such as; financial means, discrimination, lack of cultural competence by providers, and socioeconomic barriers. One way to implement activism towards this topic is by forcing medical students and doctors to be well versed in the care a transgender person requires. For myself I think I would be able to focus my attention on what I know best; social media. I enjoy writing and one effective form of activism is publishing works that can spread knowledge to people who want to learn more about transgender care. Infographics and articles are easily accessible and when in the right hands, can be very useful to soak in new information.
