In the early 1980s, the first cases of a devastating and fatal new disease appeared, a disease that at first struck only gay men and was later identified as HIV/AIDS.
It was the beginning of what became a worldwide health crisis that the US government ignored for years and that unfairly heightened prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. To this day, the AIDS Crisis continues to disproportionately affect both the LGBTQ+ community and people of color. Nico Medina has written an accurate and affecting history of a terrible time, spotlighting the heroic efforts of AIDS activists who fought for medical research and new medicines, for proper health care for patients, and for compassionate recognition of people with AIDS.
一九八零年代初期,出現了第一批新的、毀滅性的致命病例,這種疾病最初只襲擊男同志,後來被定名為「人類免疫缺乏病毒/愛滋病」(HIV/AIDS)。
它引爆了一場全球性的健康危機,而多年來美國政府一直漠視這場危機,也加劇了對「多元性別」(LGBTQ+)族群的偏見。時至今日,愛滋危機持續對「多元性別」族群及有色人種造成極其偏頗的影響。尼科•梅迪納對這段可怕的時期做了精確而影響深遠的歷史紀錄,書中聚焦在那些愛滋病活動人士的英勇事蹟,他們為醫學研究和新藥而奮鬥,也為病患能得到妥適的醫療照護以及認可而努力不懈。
(文字整理/楊靜愉)
(文字整理/楊靜愉)