The life and death of ACT UP/LA : anti-AIDS activism in Los Angeles from the 1980s to the 2000s

"The Life and Death of ACT UP/LA explores the history of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, Los Angeles, part of the militant anti-AIDS movement of the 1980s and 1990s. ACT UP/LA battled government, medical, and institutional neglect of the AIDS epidemic, engaging in multi-targeted protest in Los Angeles and nationally. The book shows how appealing the direct action anti-AIDS activism was for people across the United States; as well as arguing the need to understand how the politics of place affect organizing, and how the particular features of the Los Angeles cityscape shaped possibilities for activists. A feminist lens is used, seeing social inequalities as mutually reinforcing and interdependent, to examine the interaction of activists and the outcomes of their actions. Their struggle against AIDS and homophobia, and to have a voice in their healthcare, presaged the progressive, multi-issue, anti-corporate, confrontational organizing of the late twentieth century, and deserves to be part of that history"-- Provided by publisher Cover ......Page 1 Half-title page......Page 3 Title page......Page 5 Copyright page......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 13 Introduction: Anti-AIDS Activism and Injustice Redefined......Page 17 Why Study ACT UP/LA?......Page 21 Conflation and Hiding the Coalition Nature of Direct-Action Anti-AIDS Protest......Page 22 The Politics of Place: The Significance of Local Fields for Action......Page 25 West Hollywood’s Role in Lesbian and Gay Politics......Page 28 ACT UPs as Exemplars of Late Twentieth-Century Activism......Page 30 The Feminist Intersectional Lens on ACT UP/LA......Page 32 Plan of the Book......Page 37 Introduction......Page 40 The Call to Action: December 4, 1987......Page 41 ACT UP/LA’s Structure: Embodying Coalition......Page 44 Leadership in a Leaderless Group......Page 47 ACT UP/LA in Action: Oscillations between the Local and the National......Page 49 The Beginnings of a National Network: ACT UP/LA and ACT NOW......Page 57 Actions in 1990: A National Stage for Los Angeles Activists......Page 60 A New Focus on Women and AIDS in Late 1990: “The Week of Outrage”......Page 65 Challenges to Unity in 1991: War and Queer Nation......Page 70 Another National Stage for ACT UP/LA: The Oscars Action......Page 73 Prisoners’ Rights: ACT UP/LA in the ACT UP/California Coalition......Page 75 The Summer of 1991: Ongoing Concerns and New Money......Page 77 ACT UP/LA and the Catholic Church: Local Reverberations of ACT UP/NY’s Stop the Church Controversy......Page 81 Conclusion: Reflecting Back on Four Years of Contention......Page 84 Why Form a Women’s Caucus? The Confluence of Interest and Identity......Page 86 Layers of Women’s (In)Visibility in the AIDS Epidemic and the Anti-AIDS Movement......Page 89 ACT UP/LA’s Women’s Caucus and the Problem of Numbers......Page 93 The Making of an Internal Gender Boundary as a Means of Increasing Women’s Visibility......Page 97 Feminist Friendly Men within Formalized Women’s Space......Page 101 Women’s Strategies for Reinscribing Gender Difference: Counting Men and Calling Out “Women Present!”......Page 105 The Paradox of Becoming Official Women: Deference and Compartmentalization......Page 107 Conclusion: Opportunities and Challenges for Feminist Women in ACT UP/LA......Page 110 Introduction: Inequalities, Community Boundaries, and Conflict within ACT UP/LA......Page 113 The Role of Conflict in the LGBT Movement......Page 115 Intersectional Crisis 1: AB 101 and Challenges to ACT UP/LA’s Vision of Anti-AIDS Action......Page 119 Intersectional Crisis 2: Clean Needles Now and the Boundaries of Community......Page 127 The Origins of Clean Needles Now......Page 128 The Palladium Fundraiser: More Money, More Problems......Page 130 The Debates about the (Personal) Politics of CNN......Page 134 ACT UP/LA’s Racial Politics, Rodney King, and the Boundaries of Community......Page 138 Gender and “Competing” Actions at the 1993 March on Washington......Page 144 Conclusion: The Enervating Effects of Intersectional Conflicts......Page 149 Introduction......Page 151 Explanations for Demobilization of the Direct Action Anti-AIDS Movement......Page 152 Failure and Death Experienced as One: Demoralization in ACT UP/LA......Page 155 Spiraling Down in 1992: The Problem of Dwindling Numbers......Page 160 Heart Politics: Healing Rifts and Making Connections......Page 161 “Disaster”: ACT UP/LA at the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston......Page 163 Slowing Down after the Slow-Down: ACT UP/LA in 1993 and 1994......Page 168 Last Gasps: Actions in 1995 and 1996......Page 173 The Real End(s): The Death of ACT UP/LA......Page 176 Introduction: Styles of Activism and Activists in ACT UP/LA......Page 178 The Insider–Outsider Dichotomy in Social Movement Theory......Page 179 Debates about the Outside and the Inside in Activism......Page 180 What Does It Mean to “Negotiate” with Power?......Page 185 Paths across Outside and Inside Activist Space......Page 191 Path 1: AIDS Service Work to Direct Action and back to Advocacy......Page 192 Path 2: Outsider Activist to Outsider Within......Page 197 Conclusion: The Uneasy Survival of Outsider Perspectives in Insider Spaces......Page 203 Coda: Naming Oneself an Institutional Activist......Page 205 Recapturing the Direct-Action Struggle against AIDS......Page 207 Theoretical Lessons from the Case: Intersectional Perspective, Inescapable Inequalities, Politics of Place, and the Blurring of Outsider–Insider Spaces......Page 211 The ACT UPs’ Legacy and the Ongoing AIDS Crisis......Page 213 Data: Drawing from the Archives, Participant Observation, and Interviews......Page 219 Archival Research/Primary Sources......Page 222 Participant Observation......Page 223 Interviews......Page 225 Weaving Together Perspectives: Feminist Intersectionality, Grounded Theory, and Extended Case Method as Complementary Research Strategies......Page 228 References......Page 233 Index......Page 257 Plates ......Page 267 Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Preface and Acknowledgments 13 1 Anti-AIDS Activism in the 1980s and 1990s 17 Introduction: Anti-AIDS Activism and Injustice Redefined 17 Why Study ACT UP/LA? 21 Conflation and Hiding the Coalition Nature of Direct-Action Anti-AIDS Protest 22 The Politics of Place: The Significance of Local Fields for Action 25 West Hollywood’s Role in Lesbian and Gay Politics 28 ACT UPs as Exemplars of Late Twentieth-Century Activism 30 The Feminist Intersectional Lens on ACT UP/LA 32 Plan of the Book 37 2 Beginning, Building, and Being ACT UP/LA 40 Introduction 40 The Call to Action: December 4, 1987 41 ACT UP/LA’s Structure: Embodying Coalition 44 Leadership in a Leaderless Group 47 ACT UP/LA in Action: Oscillations between the Local and the National 49 The Beginnings of a National Network: ACT UP/LA and ACT NOW 57 Actions in 1990: A National Stage for Los Angeles Activists 60 A New Focus on Women and AIDS in Late 1990: “The Week of Outrage” 65 Challenges to Unity in 1991: War and Queer Nation 70 Another National Stage for ACT UP/LA: The Oscars Action 73 Prisoners’ Rights: ACT UP/LA in the ACT UP/California Coalition 75 The Summer of 1991: Ongoing Concerns and New Money 77 ACT UP/LA and the Catholic Church: Local Reverberations of ACT UP/NY’s Stop the Church Controversy 81 Conclusion: Reflecting Back on Four Years of Contention 84 3 Battling for Women’s Issues and Women’s Visibility in ACT UP/LA 86 Why Form a Women’s Caucus? The Confluence of Interest and Identity 86 Layers of Women’s (In)Visibility in the AIDS Epidemic and the Anti-AIDS Movement 89 ACT UP/LA’s Women’s Caucus and the Problem of Numbers 93 The Making of an Internal Gender Boundary as a Means of Increasing Women’s Visibility 97 Feminist Friendly Men within Formalized Women’s Space 101 Women’s Strategies for Reinscribing Gender Difference: Counting Men and Calling Out “Women Present!” 105 The Paradox of Becoming Official Women: Deference and Compartmentalization 107 Conclusion: Opportunities and Challenges for Feminist Women in ACT UP/LA 110 4 Intersectional Crises in ACT UP/LA 113 Introduction: Inequalities, Community Boundaries, and Conflict within ACT UP/LA 113 The Role of Conflict in the LGBT Movement 115 Intersectional Crisis 1: AB 101 and Challenges to ACT UP/LA’s Vision of Anti-AIDS Action 119 Intersectional Crisis 2: Clean Needles Now and the Boundaries of Community 127 The Origins of Clean Needles Now 128 The Palladium Fundraiser: More Money, More Problems 130 The Debates about the (Personal) Politics of CNN 134 ACT UP/LA’s Racial Politics, Rodney King, and the Boundaries of Community 138 Gender and “Competing” Actions at the 1993 March on Washington 144 Conclusion: The Enervating Effects of Intersectional Conflicts 149 5 Demobilization: ACT UP/LA in the Years 1992–1997 151 Introduction 151 Explanations for Demobilization of the Direct Action Anti-AIDS Movement 152 Failure and Death Experienced as One: Demoralization in ACT UP/LA 155 Spiraling Down in 1992: The Problem of Dwindling Numbers 160 Heart Politics: Healing Rifts and Making Connections 161 “Disaster”: ACT UP/LA at the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston 163 Slowing Down after the Slow-Down: ACT UP/LA in 1993 and 1994 168 Last Gasps: Actions in 1995 and 1996 173 The Real End(s): The Death of ACT UP/LA 176 6 From Streets to Suits: The Inside(r)s and Outside(r)s of ACT UP/LA 178 Introduction: Styles of Activism and Activists in ACT UP/LA 178 The Insider–Outsider Dichotomy in Social Movement Theory 179 Debates about the Outside and the Inside in Activism 180 What Does It Mean to “Negotiate” with Power? 185 Paths across Outside and Inside Activist Space 191 Path 1: AIDS Service Work to Direct Action and back to Advocacy 192 Path 2: Outsider Activist to Outsider Within 197 Conclusion: The Uneasy Survival of Outsider Perspectives in Insider Spaces 203 Coda: Naming Oneself an Institutional Activist 205 7 Looking Back on the Life and Death of ACT UP/LA 207 Recapturing the Direct-Action Struggle against AIDS 207 Theoretical Lessons from the Case: Intersectional Perspective, Inescapable Inequalities, Politics of Place, and the Blurring of Outsider–Insider Spaces 211 The ACT UPs’ Legacy and the Ongoing AIDS Crisis 213 Appendix: Multiple Methods and Multiple Perspectives 219 Data: Drawing from the Archives, Participant Observation, and Interviews 219 Archival Research/Primary Sources 222 Participant Observation 223 Interviews 225 Weaving Together Perspectives: Feminist Intersectionality, Grounded Theory, and Extended Case Method as Complementary Research Strategies 228 References 233 Index 257 Plates 267 Machine generated contents note: 1. Anti-AIDS activism in the 1980s and 1990s; 2. Beginning, building, and being ACT UP/LA; 3. Battling for women's issues and women's visibility in ACT UP/LA; 4. Intersectional crises in ACT UP/LA; 5. Demobilization: ACT UP/LA in the years 1992-7; 6. From streets to suits: the inside(r)s and outside(r)s of ACT UP/LA; 7. Looking back on the life and death of ACT UP/LA