Lesbian Blood Sisters of the HIV Crisis
episode
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
46 min
5 speakers
3 chapters
transcribed 2 months ago
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Do you want even more shocking and scandalous history? Like why the ancient Greek statues had such small manhoods or what went on behind closed doors in the Georgian era? Well sign up to History Hit where you can see me discover the scandalous side of history as well as hundreds of hours of original documentaries plus new releases every week covering everything from prehistoric Scotland to the Treaty of Versailles. Sign up to join me in locations around the world and explore the past. Just visit historyhit.com forward slash subscribe Hello, my lovely Betwixters. It's me, Kate Lister. Welcome back once again to another episode of Betwixt the Sheets. Hello. Thanks for coming back. But before we go any further, I do have to tell you, and I have to keep telling you.
I mean, you can say it with me. We can make a rap out of it. I don't know. But here we go. This is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adult-y things in an adult-y way. You can rearrange all the subjects to use in an adult-y way. Let's just get the f*** on with it. It is early in the morning of July 16th, 1983, and we are in San Diego. And we are at a gathering of women who are actually queuing. They're queuing down the road to get into something. What the hell's going on? We'll get a little bit closer and find out. These women are lesbians. The lesbians are massing. But what for? Why are they here? Well, they're here to donate their blood. And they're donating to a very, very special cause.
They are donating their blood to hospitals treating patients with HIV. But why do these women feel the need to do it? Why weren't regular blood supplies enough? Who organised this and what impact did they have? These are the Lesbian Blood Sisters of San Diego and today we're going to find out about their story. Hello and welcome back to Betwixt the Sheets, the history of sex, scandal and society with me, Kate Lister. By the end of 2024, the World Health Organization was estimating that HIV had been responsible for the deaths of up to 53.4 million people. This is a disease that has caused no end of heartbreak and misery and tragedy, but it has also exposed all manner of vile prejudice and horrendous intolerance.
as one of the main groups afflicted were gay men. But that's not the whole story. As the HIV epidemic hit, people also banded together in forms of community support and activism, as the government seemed to be doing nothing at all. And today we're looking at one such group, the story of the Lesbian Blood Sisters. Why was giving blood so important in the early years of this crisis? What were they up against? And how were they seen by other members of the LGBTQ plus community? Well, today I'm joined by Jennifer Breyer, author of Infectious Ideas, U.S. Political Response to the AIDS Crisis, to talk about these women. Are you ready to hear more? I know I am. Well, hello and welcome to Betwixt the Sheets.
It's only Professor Jennifer Breyer. How are you doing?
I'm well, thank you. Thanks for having me.
You are Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Chicago. How is Chicago doing?
Well, it's a difficult time here in the States, I will say. But the University of Illinois, Chicago is an amazing place and this city is... It's a crossroads of many things and it's got a rich history of lesbian lives, to be perfectly honest. So I'm excited to talk to you and to listen to what people have to say.
This is a fascinating, it's so strange to call it history because I was here when it happened, but it is history.
What prompted 200 lesbians to queue for a blood drive in San Diego on 16 July 1983?
We're looking at reactions to the AIDS pandemic. epidemic as it emerged in the 1980s but particular how lesbian groups in america responded to it the lesbian blood sisters which is just the most extraordinary story but before we even get to that let's just do a real page one starter beginner question what is hiv what is AIDS
Well, there's a biological way to answer that question, a historical way to answer that question, a sociological, political way. I'll take it from the historical side because I'm sure that there are people who can do a better job on the deep biological side.
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