The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) founded in New York City in 1987 by Larry Kramer, defined itself as a “non-partisan group of individuals, united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis.” ACT UP garnered attention for its disruptive demonstrations and hyperbolic rhetoric, which included staging “die-ins” and shouting epithets like “murderer!” at public figures it deemed not sufficiently committed to ending the AIDS epidemic.
While ACT UP deserves credit for spreading awareness and having advocated for AIDS treatment research, its claim to have furthered the cause of queer people is suspect. A closer look at the tactics the group used and its overarching ideological vision reveals ACT UP’s covertly authoritarian and decidedly anti-progressive dimensions, which went on to shape the mainstream LGBT movement.