Radical Acts HIV/AIDS Activism in Late 20th Century England

Radical Acts - HIV/AIDS Activism in Late Twentieth-Century England 

Author George Severs will be joined by two fantastic panelists: activist and friend of Gay's the Word Jonathan Blake, and historian Wendy Rickard. 

Saturday 25th May, doors 7pm. 

Drawing on activist campaign literature and materials, broadcast media, and new oral history interviews, George Severs reconstructs and discusses the overlooked world of radical AIDS activism in England. 

This book provides one of the first detailed histories of the radical HIV/AIDS movement in England, following ACT UP's travels from New York to London via prominent queer intellectuals, and reconstructing the vibrant theatrical campaigns staged by ACT UP groups across England. 

Radical Acts explores expressions of activism that were far more common than demonstrations and marches. Manifestations of a political commitment to ameliorating the injustices facing people living with HIV permeated most aspects of everyday life. These forms of 'everyday activism' played out in workplaces, universities and church halls across England, as well as through networks that stretched across Europe and North America. This book breaks new ground by studying the radical alongside the everyday, presenting a diverse constellation of activist responses to the epidemic.

'Radical Acts is a breath-taking analysis of activism against the HIV/AIDS epidemic that blends local, street-level confrontations with everyday acts of engagement and friendship. George Severs explores the diversity of activist movements: conflicts, creativity, silences, and solidarity. This perfectly crafted and surprisingly optimistic book also hints at the future of activism'. - Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London

Please note: this event is on a Saturday, not a Thursdays as per our usual events. 

Event Tickets are £3. If tickets are still showing as available and you are low-income and want to attend this event simply email us putting the words ‘Evenings and Weekends Event Access' in the subject-header. (EVENT NOW FULL)

 gaystheword@gmail.com

George J. Severs

George is a historian of modern Britain specialising in histories of sexual health, sexual violence and HIV/AIDS. He has published academic articles on oral histories of HIV/AIDS, male survivors of sexual violence, and homophobia within the British far right. George is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland, and an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Historical Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. Radical Acts is his first book.

Jonathan Blake

Jonathan is an actor, tailor and activist living in London. Diagnosed HIV positive in October 1982, Jonathan was initially given between three and nine months to live. Six months later he met Nigel Young, who became his partner of nearly forty years. Alongside Nigel, Jonathan joined Lesbians and Gay men Support the Miners (LGSM). The group, made famous by the 2014 film Pride raised money for miners in South Wales, and did much of their organising from Gay’s the Word. Jonathan was also an HIV/AIDS activist, working with groups such as the Terrence Higgins Trust, the Landmark, Lighthouse and Food Chain. In addition to appearances in documentary and feature films, Jonathan was interviewed for
and appears in Radical Acts.

Wendy Rickard

Wendy is a practising oral historian with 26 years experience of working in oral history and a long-standing relationship with the British Library Sound Archive (BLSA). Projects included HIV/AIDS Testimonies (1995), HIV Testimonies Revisited -longitudinal follow up (2006) and Sex Work (1998). Many of these interviews appear in Radical Acts. With University of Brighton she interviewed on two Haemophilia/HIV oral history projects and the AIDS Era Project with health care staff. Most recently, she has led a participative HIV oral history project with young people at Chiva. All oral history work has been archived at the BLSA. Her wider career has been in public health research/ teaching (University of East London, LSE, South Bank University and University of Exeter), with a particular interest in community engagement and shared authority.