AIDS activist group ACT UP changed the world. Here's why its work still matters today
The direct action group ACT UP was key to the fight against AIDS at the epidemic's height, and its legacy informs present-day activism.
December 9, 2025
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act up ny
HRC drops sponsorships from weapons manufacturers after pressure from advocacy groups
"What’s happening in Gaza and throughout the region is devastating," a spokesperson for HRC told The Advocate.
November 12, 2025
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres responds to ACT UP NY’s removal of his flag from Fire Island’s Trailblazers Park
The gay Democratic U.S. congressman stood by his positions and called the protest action “regrettable.”
June 6, 2024
Target Pulls 'Silence = Death' T-Shirt After ACT UP NY Calls Store Out
The group objected to commercial use of the iconic message.
May 10, 2022
50 powerful photos from ACT UP NY's pro-Palestine rally at the GLAAD Media awards
ACT UP NY led a crowd of queer artists, activists, health care workers, and aid workers outside the GLAAD Media awards ceremony last week.
May 19, 2024
7 images of ACT UP NY taking to the streets at a queer Palestine rally saying ‘SILENCE=DEATH’
As the death toll in Gaza continues to climb, the prominent AIDS activist group is using its platforms to demand an end to the violence.
January 13, 2024
Trump Doesn't Care About HIV/AIDS--Here's How He Could
The president will reportedly discuss goals of ending HIV at SOTU. ACT UP NY explains how he can actually help.
February 5, 2019
Pro-Palestine protesters march outside GLAAD Media awards: ‘In honor of our Queer history’
Several famous drag queens protested one of the biggest LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations in the world over the weekend. Here's why.
May 13, 2024
ACT UP and GLAAD Protest Simon & Schuster's 'Denialist' HIV Book
The publisher is distributing a book that questions whether HIV causes AIDS.
March 27, 2023
ACT UP member Nanette Kazaoka, a fierce activist for marginalized people, is dead at 83
Kazaoka was an advocate for those living with HIV, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups.
March 31, 2025
After Three Decades, Our Work to End HIV Isn't Over
ACT UP lays out what the future of HIV/AIDS looks like as we continue to make strides, but still have much work remaining as we enter our fourth decade of fighting.
December 1, 2019
New York Dem Ritchie Torres discusses the fight for LGBTQ+ representation as election looms
As one of the first out gay Black and Latine members of Congress, Torres continues to champion LGBTQ+ rights, advocate for marginalized communities, and push for broader representation in government.
November 1, 2024
Here’s How CBS Can Atone for Its Fearmongering HIV Tweet
Activists from ACT UP NYC, Housing Works, and Gay Men's Health Crisis pen a letter responding to recent reporting from CBS New York that perpetuates myths about HIV and AIDS.
January 10, 2020
Leaders in Health, HIV, LGBTQ+ Rights React to Larry Kramer's Death
The world mourned one of the biggest heroes of the last 40 years.
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May 27, 2020
Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody Are No Wins for LGBTQ Representation
Many on social media criticized the Golden Globes Best Picture winners -- both about queer musicians -- as problematic.
January 7, 2019
Visions of Solidarity: Lesbian writers on how we save the world from fascism
New books by Sarah Schulman and the late Urvashi Vaid offer a blueprint for a common movement to fight against American authoritarianism and the rise of fascism worldwide.
April 25, 2025
Activists arrested at die-in when protesting loss of global HIV funding
The Trump administration is endangering lives with its deep cuts to foreign aid, the protesters said.
February 28, 2025
What Ever Happened to GMHC?
"First in the fight against AIDS," as it long billed itself, the New York agency once known as Gay Men's Health Crisis is sinking under a huge rent on unused space, a vacuum of leadership, the dimming of its voice in HIV prevention, and criticism from all sides. Can it possibly right itself?
March 6, 2014
N.Y. Trans Rights -- Lucky Number 7?
Trans advocates hope the seventh time is the charm as GENDA wades into the battlefield that is the New York State Senate, where it's repeatedly stalled.
June 12, 2014
Equality Act, the Sweeping LGBTQ+ Rights Bill, Reintroduced in Congress
The act, which would outlaw anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationally, comes at a time of unprecedented state-level attacks on the community.
June 21, 2023