Dana Schuerholz

AIDS Activist – Photographer

Not well known is the important role the lesbian community played during the early years of the AIDS crisis. Women took to the streets with their gay brothers, worked behind the scenes, and often served as caregivers. Islander Dana Schuerholz was on the frontlines as member of ACT UP. An accomplished photographer, Dana documented first hand the anger and frustration of the activist movement as they relentlessly fought against the tide of apathy, bigotry, and inaction. Her work also vividly portrays the desperation and anguish of that difficult time. IN and OUT is pleased to be able to feature these important photographs in the AIDS Memorial Garden.

AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) was one of the most influential health care rights advocacy groups in history. By 1987, with over 40,000 U.S. deaths and worldwide HIV infections reaching 5-10 million, the budget for AIDS research was a fraction of what the U.S. government spent on diseases that were far less threatening. The LGBT communities’ rage boiled over.

ACT UP transformed the fear and rage we felt, amidst the death and suffering, into a united force of direct action coupled with strategies and proposals that ultimately forced government and scientific agencies to fundamentally change the way medical research is conducted. There is no question that the treatment that today keeps alive an estimated 1/2 million HIV positive Americans and millions more worldwide was discovered and made accessible much sooner because of ACT UP.

Dana Schuerholz , June 2019 Vashon

Photographs 1988-1993

Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Atlanta

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