The AIDS epidemic impacted without a doubt the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, predominantly queer and gay, directly. Indirectly many more still. Initially response...Show moreThe AIDS epidemic impacted without a doubt the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, predominantly queer and gay, directly. Indirectly many more still. Initially response was slow as there seemed to be a reluctance to address what would be stereotyped as a ‘gay cancer’. Yet, through diverse movements and strategies attention was created towards this issue, resulting in a federal response that would help lessening the impact of AIDS. Although it still exists today, and impacts the lives of many individuals, it also has become a liveable condition. In this thesis we will be looking into how strategies and politics of representation affected stereotypes regarding gay men, especially those living with aids. Besides that, we will also contrast this with the representation of HIV-positive people in a ‘post-AIDS’ world, to see the disparity in messaging that have emerged with changing needs.Show less
