You may have noticed that in recent months there’s been a resurgence of sorts from ACT UP NY. First, the founding members had a high-profile sort-of reunion. And recently, armed with new members, they’ve come out swinging against city hospitals and the health department for evidently not offering much internal or public information about the HIV-preventing benefits of PEP, the practice of immediately starting 28 days of HIV meds after possible exposure to the virus to keep from being infected.
These days, ACT UPers are calling themselves ACT UP 2.0, to suggest a “reboot” for the group now that we are facing a second-wave epidemic in which half of young gay men and transgender women could be HIV+ by age 50, as calculated by the Center for Disease Control. And to retrofit ACT UP for the era of digital activism, rather than the old-school methods of no more than flyers and phone trees, the group is having a “Hack-a-Thon” at the LGBT Community Center on 13th St between 7th and 8th Avenues, this Saturday starting at 10am and Sunday starting at 3pm. You can learn more and sign up here and here. Food will be provided and you’re encouraged to bring your laptop.
The Hack-a-Thon will not be an illegal undertaking, organizers stress, but rather a big brainstorming session about how ACT UP 2.0 can fully exploit the powers of digital media to link its on-the-street activism to the digital world. Below, read a few lines about it from Bacilio Mendez, one of the newbies recharging ACT UP NY. And consider attending this weekend. At least you’ll get free food!
“I saw (the documentary of 1980s-90s ACT UP) How to Survive a Plagueon a Saturday afternoon last summer, bawled my eyes out, and was at my first ACT UP meeting the following Monday; I’ve been going to The LGBT Center, every Monday night, ever since.
“At first, I didn’t quite know how I, a technical services law librarian and complete activism novice, would fit in, but it became clear how I could contribute pretty quickly. I started ACT UP/DAWG (the Digital Activism Working Group) because I saw the great work being done by ACT UPers, like the Naked 7 Sequestration Protest in Speaker Boehner’s office, go virtually unnoticed by the press and barely register a blip on the various social media sites. I knew that I could help change that.
“A direct action can be born digital and take the form of a Twitter bombing, an infographic campaign, or even getting a critical mass of people to change their Facebook profile or cover photo to something that ACT UP/DAWG designs. Instagram and Pinterest prove that we are a visual people. If you look on your own Facebook or Twitter profile, I am willing to bet that the posts that receive the most attention from your friends have some visual component. Eye catching design demands attention from the casual social media user. Period. And if ACT UP/DAWG gets its imagery liked or shared by enough casual social media users that catches the attention of media outlets, reporters, bloggers, and, hopefully, health policy makers, medical and social service providers, and heads of health industry corporations.”
“Just like in the days of Gran Fury, ACT UP/DAWG is giving HIV/AIDS activism a voice through design and in cooperation with ACT UP/PHAG (the Prevention of HIV Action Group) shaping the messaging, ACT UP is reaching people where they are now most likely to first be exposed to HIV—via their screens. It doesn’t take an epidemiologist to make the connection between rising new HIV infection rates with the ascendance of geolocation based hookup apps and sites.”
