As monkeypox cases spread, AIDs epidemic history surfaces old wounds – USA TODAY
Those who lived through the peak of HIV see a lack of progress in how the stigma of illness is addressed, especially around diseases that can be transmitted through sexual contact.
When 55-year-old Ken Pinkela was first navigating his coming out process as a gay man, the community he emerged into was no stranger to crisis.
In the throes of deadly HIV infections, gay men turned to self-made support groups to ask health care questions, organize protests and combat the isolation and stigma of illness.