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[electronic beeping]

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[static fizzling]

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[rock music playing]

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[narrator] It's August of 1983, 
and Reno, Nevada,

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is hosting its sixth annual gay rodeo.

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But this year, the public backlash 
has been especially harsh.

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Out here in the West in the United States,
we believe in rodeos,

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and we think homosexuals
are giving rodeos a bad name.

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That's not American. That's not rodeo.

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They are forcing themselves upon us
and giving Reno a bad name.

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[narrator] Their prejudice 
is fueled by terror.

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A new disease is hitting
the gay community hard.

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It's called AIDS. 

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Locals have gathered 
around 8,000 signatures

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protesting the rodeo,

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identifying those with AIDS as a threat.

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I don't plan on dying from this,

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and if he would take the hate he's trying
to generate and turn it into love,

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we might find a cure for this disease.

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[narrator] There are 
nearly 40 million people worldwide

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infected with HIV,

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about the population of Canada.

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It's hit every continent on the planet.

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Africa has suffered the most,

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with nearly one in every 25 adults
living with HIV.

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Around 25% of those with HIV

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don't actually know they have it.

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That's over 9 million people.

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So far, there's been over
35 million AIDS-related deaths...

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almost the same number of people
who are currently infected with HIV.

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AIDS is a truly devastating
modern epidemic.

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But after four decades
of activism and scientific research,

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how far have we come
in finding a cure and battling the stigma?

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It makes me f****** crazy.

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[narrator] It's Spring of 1981,

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and a mystery illness is exploding

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across the gay communities
of New York, LA, and San Francisco.

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Men are inexplicably
coming down with cancer

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and other mysterious illnesses,

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and many are dying within weeks.

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[man] Health workers say many patients
have never heard of the illness.

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People find out some of these things
through the national press,

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and the national press
hasn't give this particular...

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syndrome a lot of... a lot of play.

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[narrator] As more cases 
are confirmed across the Atlantic,

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in Spain and the UK,
it becomes known as the "gay plague."

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But nobody understands exactly what it is

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or why it's spreading so fast.

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Misinformation is rampant.

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Of course, the main question
is why only gays get the disease.

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One clue is this: almost everyone
who gets the illness uses this liquid.

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It contains a vapor which,
when inhaled, acts on the heart.

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In the gay community,
it's used as an aphrodisiac.

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[narrator] But soon it becomes clear.

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This disease isn't just
targeting homosexuals.

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Hemophiliacs and injection drug users

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start coming down with the same symptoms.

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And their families, too.

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[man] Patrick is a hemophiliac.

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He contracted the deadly disease from
one of his regular blood transfusions.

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He unwittingly
passed the virus on to Lauren,

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who, in turn, passed it on
to their unborn baby, Dwight,

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who's now desperately ill in hospital.

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[Lauren] She knows that her mommy 
and daddy and brother are very sick.

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But what sick and dying 
means to a child...

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Mother ain't gonna die soon...

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'cause you ain't very old yet.

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[narrator] It's only in 1982

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that this mysterious plague earns a name:

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acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

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The disease is abbreviated A.I.D.S.

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and is referred to as "AIDS."

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You've probably never heard of it,
but experts say that illness is causing

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the biggest epidemic
in this country since smallpox.

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[narrator] But the general response
from the US federal government

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is crickets.

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And when the subject is raised
at a White House press conference,

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it's treated as a joke.

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[man 1] It's a pretty serious thing

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that one in every three people
that get this have died.

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And I wonder if the president
is aware of this.

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-[man 2] I don't have it. Are you...
-[laughing]

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-Do you?
-[man 1] You don't have it?

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Well, I'm relieved to hear that, Larry.

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Does the president-- In other words,

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the White House
looks on this as a great joke?

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[Larry] No, I don't know
anything about it, Lester.

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[narrator] But while the White House 
ignores the issue,

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the global numbers
of AIDS victims are growing. 

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Making matters worse,
the federal agencies 

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best equipped to confront the emergency

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have recently had their budgets
slashed by the administration.

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It isn't until 1983 that scientists
uncover the culprit behind AIDS.

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It's a virus,
and they eventually call it HIV.

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The human immunodeficiency virus.

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Anyone can be infected.

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But still, most of the victims
are men in their 20s.

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Tilt your head back.

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[man] David is 22 years old.
All the doctors can do for him

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is treat his symptoms,
like sore throat and diarrhea,

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and cheer him up as he slowly gets worse.

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For me, I've pretty much accepted
the fact that I'm gonna die.

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[narrator] So what makes 
this virus so deadly?

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After decades of research,
we now know a lot more than we did then.

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White blood cells play a vital role
in the body's immune system

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by recognizing and fighting infection.

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The HIV virus might look like
a pretty piece of sea coral,

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but HIV is deadly.

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The outer coat of the virus locks onto
a particular type of white blood cell.

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Over time, these cells are killed off,

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and the body's ability to recognize
and fight infection begins to decline.

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When the cells are depleted,
the result is AIDS,

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and the body becomes lethally vulnerable
to diseases like pneumonia and cancer.

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By 1983, AIDS is spreading
rapidly across the globe,

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and nations are terrified.

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Because still, most people
aren't sure how it's being transmitted.

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[man] Like some prison officers
demanding protective clothing,

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some policemen wearing masks and gloves
when dealing with homosexuals.

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[narrator] Discrimination and homophobia

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start erupting everywhere.

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We've had health care personnel
refusing to, uh... to care.

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We've had, uh, morticians refusing to... 
to bury our people.

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I mean, we've run the gamut
of dealing with a panicked response.

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[narrator] Ignorance about HIV 
remains rampant.

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In December 1985,
a report in The Los Angeles Times

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states that half of respondents
support a quarantine of AIDS patients.

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Forty-eight percent would approve
of making those who test positive for HIV

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carry identity cards.

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And 15% actually favor
tattooing AIDS victims.

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[man] Recently, a sufferer of the syndrome
fell ill on a flight to Washington.

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The airline offloaded him

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and told him that his name
was being placed in their computer,

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ensuring that they would
never sell him a ticket again.

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The following day,
he re-embarked on one of their planes,

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this time traveling under an assumed name,

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wearing sunglasses and a false mustache.

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[narrator] But then, children start 
feeling the weight of the prejudice,

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including three-year-old Eve,

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who's contracted AIDS
through an infected blood transfusion.

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The parents at her school
in rural Australia

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are terrified their kids are at risk.

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I don't want her to take
any chance of catching it.

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-[woman] Do you think there's any chance?
-Well, I think there is if she's got AIDS.

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[narrator] The truth is,

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the US Center for Disease Control
has already confirmed

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AIDS cannot be spread by casual contact.

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It can only be transmitted through blood,
sexual intercourse,

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pregnancy, and breast milk.

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But word has been slow getting out.

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By 1984, in Africa,

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an estimated 970,000 people are infected.

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It's clearly a global epidemic.

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As the death toll climbs,

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the top priority becomes
preventing the spread of AIDS.

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We know so little about AIDS,

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but what we do know
is how it is transmitted.

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And therefore, we know how
it is prevented from being transmitted.

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And people need to practice safer sex.

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You put the condom on over--
We always give our banana a name.

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Let's call this one, uh... Charles.
Call this one Charles.

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And then you put
the condom over the erect penis

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and roll it down, smooth.

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And there you have, uh... Charles
all ready to practice safe sex.

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[narrator] As people 
start talking more about safe sex,

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condom use skyrockets.

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Sales increase 25% from 1986 to 1988.

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There's also some progress
towards treatment.

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[man] Never before
has so much been known

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about a new disease
in such a short time.

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Research has proceeded at a frantic pace.

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A major breakthrough
has been a new blood test 

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that should ensure that, in future,

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nobody contracts AIDS
from a blood transfusion.

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[narrator] But the number of people
dying from AIDS is growing daily.

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[rock music playing]

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When your government fails you,
you self-organize,

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and that's what happened with AIDS.

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[man] Hundreds of calls
are received here each day

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from members
of the public and the gay community.

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[narrator] AIDS patients and their loved 
ones start uniting all over the world,

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demanding greater access
to experimental drugs,

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pleading for more funding,

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and taking aim at the bigotry
that's emerging around AIDS.

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All gay people must unite

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to overcome discrimination
against people with AIDS.

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If we do not...

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[crowd applauding]

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...we will all suffer.

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We will all be defeated.

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We will all truly be victims of AIDS.

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They simply cannot
put us away in leper colonies,

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which seems to be what they're--
what they're talking about doing now.

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[narrator] People are looking 
for leadership.

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But when the president mentions AIDS
at a fundraising gala in Washington, DC,

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in support of a policy
to screen immigrants,

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it doesn't go down well.

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00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,960
Add the AIDS virus
to the list of contagious diseases

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00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,880
for which immigrants and aliens seeking
permanent residence in the United States

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can be denied entry.

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00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,720
[crowd jeering]

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00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,600
[narrator] It's not exactly 
the rousing call to arms

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00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:04,400
his audience was hoping for.

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00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,800
For many who have been fighting
this battle for years, enough is enough.

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00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,400
It's time to make people and politicians
across the world listen.

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-Jose Salles.
-[woman] John Ferrera.

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00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,560
[narrator] In 1987, 
on the National Mall in Washington, DC,

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00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,800
activists unveil a massive quilt,
larger than a football field.

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00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:30,480
Each panel commemorates a victim of AIDS.

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00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,960
And with its 1,920 panels,

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the AIDS quilt becomes
a searing symbol of the crisis,

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00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:41,600
told through a medium
as American as apple pie.

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00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:44,160
[dramatic classical music playing]

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00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,160
[rock music playing]

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It's one of the many
creative approaches activists use

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00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,280
to bring the nation's attention
to the crisis.

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00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:57,880
But nobody is more outspoken

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00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,600
than NYC playwright and legendary
gay rights activist Larry Kramer.

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00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:06,320
I, myself, have lost now
18 friends who have died

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in my own immediate circle of friends,
a community.

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I mean, it's like wartime when that--

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when you have those kind of statistics
that affect you personally.

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[narrator] Kramer helps create
a whole new performative form of protest:

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00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:23,320
ACT UP,
the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.

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I wanna  know why I'm being arrested!

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[narrator] With over 140 chapters
and thousands of members worldwide,

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00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:35,000
ACT UP is not only big.
They're bold, and they're loud.

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00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,640
This is a group of AIDS victims
who've just turned up at the White House

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00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,200
to protest
the administration's policy on AIDS.

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00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,360
And they're hoping to be arrested
to make their point of view.

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[narrator] Activists come 
in all shapes and sizes,

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including Ryan White,

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a hemophiliac diagnosed
with AIDS at 13 years old,

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and given just six months to live.

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[clears throat] Excuse me.

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00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,520
I became the target of Ryan White jokes.

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00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,320
Lies about me biting people,

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00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,200
spitting on vegetables and cookies
in grocery stores,

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00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:10,880
and urinating on bathroom walls.

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00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:15,760
[narrator] This cute Indiana kid
becomes a poster boy for AIDS campaigns,

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00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,840
supporting fundraising efforts
and raising awareness.

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00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:23,560
A few months after he passes away,

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00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,400
Congress introduces
the Ryan White Care Act...

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creating the largest federally-funded
program for people living with HIV/AIDS.

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Public perception starts to shift
in support of those grieving,

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and awareness 
of the universal threat of AIDS grows.

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If American politicians
muddle their response

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to the AIDS crisis at first,

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other well-known faces
are more sure-footed.

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[man] The Princess of Wales
felt not the slightest apprehension

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about her visit to the Middlesex Hospital
and its AIDS ward,

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according to press reports.

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[narrator] In 1987, 
Britain's Princess Diana

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helps to dispel ignorance,

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by shaking the hand of an AIDS patient.

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HIV does not make people
dangerous to know.

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So you can shake their hands
and give them a hug.

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Heaven knows, they need it.

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[crowd cheering]

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[narrator] Some of those infected
are already in the public eye.

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In 1985, actor Rock Hudson
becomes the first major celebrity

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to announce that he has AIDS.

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He dies just two months later.

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Sadly, more big names are to follow.

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It's soon clear wealth, power, and fame
can't protect you.

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But they do put a spotlight
on the desperate situation.

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In 1991, the power of celebrity
is harnessed on the red carpet,

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where distinctive red ribbons
spread awareness of AIDS.

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[cameras clicking]

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The activism all starts
to pay off in the '90s,

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and it's a good thing it does.

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In 1995,
AIDS reaches a sobering milestone,

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becoming the leading
cause of death in the US

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for people 25 to 44 years of age.

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It's a grim high point.
But at the same time,

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big changes are happening
in the form of funding and research.

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[cameras clicking]

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In 1993, President Clinton

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sets up the White House
Office of National AIDS Policy.

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The National Institute of Health
expands its AIDS research.

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And with great funding,

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come great scientific breakthroughs
for the treatment and prevention of HIV.

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Between 2005 and 2018,

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there's a 45% decline
in AIDS-related deaths worldwide.

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But one troubling side effect 
of all these scientific breakthroughs:

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complacency.

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In 2017, people under 25 account
for over 20% of new infections in the US.

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Only 15% of US high school students
say they've been tested for HIV.

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And just 66% percent of American men

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aged 15 to 44
use condoms on a regular basis.

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As people with HIV live longer,

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AIDS is a topic
that has drifted from the headlines.

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And with that drift of attention,

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we risk a real drift of funding
and of action to beat the virus.

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[narrator] To bring attention 
to the cause, in 2016,

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Prince Harry takes an HIV test
alongside pop star Rihanna.

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We just wanna show people
how easy it is to get tested, and how...

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you shouldn't be afraid
of knowing your status, most importantly.

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-We should all be afraid of the stigma--
-Of not knowing.

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And you should be afraid of not knowing,
afraid of not talking about it.

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And we get it.
There is a generational gap here.

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And we need to smash through that.

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The younger generation coming through
wanna talk about it,

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but there's still that stigma.

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[narrator] In 2017, there were 
nearly 37 million people worldwide

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living with HIV/AIDS.

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Africa has been the hardest hit.

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Nigeria has the highest
annual death rate,

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and Swaziland,
the highest rate of infection.

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Unlike most countries, in Russia,
the epidemic is growing.

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Not coincidentally, a recent poll
suggested more than half the population

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still have a negative opinion 
of those identifying as LGBT.

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If there wasn't this bigotry and hatred,

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that this disease could be eliminated
far quicker than you could ever think.

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And until we get that bloody dis--
idea out of our head,

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that gay people are less than,

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then I am afraid we will still
be sitting here in 20 years' time,

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discussing the same f****** thing. Okay?

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[crowd applauding]

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[narrator] AIDS activists 
have taught us the hard way

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that staying quiet can be deadly.

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Being visible has helped 
mainstream culture

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overcome its fear and biases

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and embrace people for who they are.

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[crowd] Gay rights!

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-[woman] When do we want 'em?
-[crowd] Now!

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[narrator] We've come a long way.

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From the grassroots activists,
who first got the world's attention,

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to the patients and their caretakers,
who battle HIV every day,

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to the scientists on the front lines,
hunting for a cure.

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But today,
ignorance and discrimination still exist.

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People of all ages and nationalities
are being infected.

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The worldwide fight
against AIDS continues.

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[rock music playing]