Action=Vie: A History of AIDS Activism and Gay Politics in France

Act Up-Paris became one of the most notable protest groups in France in the mid-1990s.Founded in 1989, and following the New York model, it became a confrontational voice representing the interests of those affected by HIV through openly political activism.Action=Vie, the English-language translation of Christophe Broqua’s study of the grassroots activist branch, explains the reasons for the group’s success and sheds light on Act Up's defining features-such as its unique articulation between AIDS and gay activism. Featuring numerous accounts by witnesses and participants, Broqua traces the history of Act Up-Paris and shows how thousands of gay men and women confronted the AIDS epidemic by mobilizing with public actions.Act Up-Paris helped shape the social definition not only of HIV-positive persons but also of sexual minorities.Broqua analyzes the changes brought about by the group, from the emergence of new treatments for HIV infection to normalizing homosexuality and a controversy in