The LGBT community will never forget that the force which enabled Aids to become a global catastrophe was not immunological; it was fear and apathy.
At a time when homosexuality almost universally brought stigma and shame, it was convenient for governments and society to blame the victims and walk away. Even as HIV spread beyond the LGBT community – to heterosexual men, women and children – and as fear gripped the rest of the world, many leaders doubled down. The message was clear: HIV infection and the horrors that came with it were a punishment.
