40th Anniversary

Clusters of common unusual cancers began to appear in gay communities in major cities like New York and Los Angeles.

In early January 1983, Rhode Island had only one reported case of AIDS, compared to eleven in Boston. In August of the same year, a woman’s death at Rhode Island Hospital was suspected to be AIDS-related but was never confirmed. September 1983 marked Rhode Island’s first confirmed AIDS-related death, involving a woman in her late twenties. Shortly after, Loreto “Larry” Manfredi became the state’s second AIDS victim. His family’s experience with his suffering and the associated stigma was highlighted in a ProJo profile. Meanwhile, the CDC began warning about heterosexual transmission and mother-to-child transmission of AIDS. Before the end of 1983, scientists identified a specific virus as the cause of AIDS, which would later be universally named HIV in 1986, paving the way for treatment and prevention strategies.

In 1984, a 13-year-old Indiana hemophiliac, Ryan White, was diagnosed with AIDS contracted from a blood transfusion and given six months to live. Fearful parents and teachers barred him from school, leading to a year-long legal battle involving restraining orders. He was briefly readmitted in April 1985 after public attention, but his eighth-grade year was isolating, marked by stigma and discriminatory measures. Facing anti-LGBTQ+ harassment (despite not being gay), his family moved after a bullet was fired at their home. In his new high school, he found acceptance due to HIV/AIDS education. Ryan became a prominent advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness, appearing on talk shows and receiving celebrity support, which significantly increased television coverage of the disease between 1985 and 1987. In 1987, Princess Diana further challenged stigma by publicly shaking hands with an AIDS patient without gloves or a mask.

Across the nation, communities were coming together to care for their own. Typically born from the local gay community, groups would gather informally to organize around accompanying the sick and dying, making sure they were eating, and raising their voices for AIDS victims.

One such group gathered for a potluck supper in Providence on May 31, 1985. This particular meeting would end up the first meeting of “The Rhode Island Project/AIDS”. Those first members of what came to be known as “the Project”, intended to move on to other social issues once they moved past AIDS. Instead, over time the Project embraced a new name: AIDS Project Rhode Island.

After the 1983 discovery of the virus that in 1986 came to be known as HIV, those same scientists began working towards treatment possibilities and ultimately a way to stop the virus entirely. After waiting 25 months for FDA approval, they finally got it in March of 1987. The medication was called AZT and was incredibly expensive and required other medications to work along with it.

ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was formed almost immediately, to organize protests across the country to shine a light on the $10,000 a year cost for AZT.

Marvin Feldman was a Rhode Islander, who died of AIDS related complications in 1987. His best friend, Cleve Jones, tired of going to funerals, chose to memorialize Marvin on what would become the first panel of the AIDS Quilt.

AIDS becomes a leading cause of death for young adults in the US. Activist groups like ACT UP gain prominence, demanding research, treatment access, and an end to discrimination.

The Ryan White CARE Act is enacted in the US, providing funding for HIV/AIDS care and support services.

The PARTNER study provides strong evidence that people with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus sexually (“Undetectable = Untransmittable” or U=U).

Significant progress has been made in HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Many people living with HIV can now live long and healthy lives with consistent antiretroviral therapy and achieve an undetectable viral load, preventing transmission.

Despite the advances, the HIV epidemic is not over. Challenges remain in:

• Reaching the “95-95-95” targets set for 2030 (an increase from the 90-90-90 targets).
• Addressing disparities in HIV incidence and access to care based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.
• Combating stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
• Preventing new infections, particularly among vulnerable populations.
• Developing a cure and a preventative vaccine for HIV.
• Ensuring sustainable funding for HIV programs globally.