This isn't my first or even second time at the rodeo. I dealt with Ronald Reagan & George Bush trying to kill my community by ignoring the AIDS epidemic. It happened again when I lived in South Africa with Thabo Mbeki. And we won twice. So: courage. We will beat them too. Stay focused. Get to work. - ThreadSky

gregggonsalves.bsky.social • 137 days ago

This isn't my first or even second time at the rodeo. I dealt with Ronald Reagan & George Bush trying to kill my community by ignoring the AIDS epidemic. It happened again when I lived in South Africa with Thabo Mbeki. And we won twice. So: courage. We will beat them too. Stay focused. Get to work.

Comments

becksoda.bsky.social•137 days ago

❤️

noodlemama.bsky.social•137 days ago

TY for the encouragement. Yep take back the House in two years. Task number one.

howardbeale.bsky.social•136 days ago

👋 Rome '78-'79 during the years of lead

kevinlikesmaps.bsky.social•137 days ago

I was just thinking about this today as I was the oldest person in a room full of queers who don't even remember ACT UP. It will be a rough ride, not a weekend or two of protests, but we have endured and we will endure. I felt that same resolve I had as a teenager come right back.

jessadee.bsky.social•137 days ago

The muscle memory of those days is gone. It’s going to take a lot to shift masses of people from their complicity in order to rebuild.

kevinlikesmaps.bsky.social•137 days ago

Well, a lot of those people are dead. There were 5 other core members of my local ACT UP group and 4 are dead. They fought hard because they were gonna die anyway. It's going to be tough to convince people whose lives aren't in as much danger to show up for long periods of time.

kevinlikesmaps.bsky.social•137 days ago

But OTOH, there were massive BLM protests and pro-Palestine protests by people who were not directly affected.

jessadee.bsky.social•137 days ago

I remember the fearlessness of Act Up & have despaired that we haven’t seen the like again- not even among the most radical movements to emerged since.

We live in hope.

kevinlikesmaps.bsky.social•137 days ago

I think you are underrating the BLM protests

gregggonsalves.bsky.social•137 days ago

Not so sure. Think us old fogies are chomping at the bit to get back in the saddle--how's that for mixed metaphors!?

wrambbit.bsky.social•137 days ago

I hope you’re right. I’m worried the “you do you” attitude about Covid & seeing hospitals STILL forcibly infecting patients is a litmus test re: lack of empathy for others. Such lack of empathy led to the evil that was done following orders from the Nazis. May better angels prevail. Bon Courage 🙏🏻

kevinlikesmaps.bsky.social•137 days ago

It was WORSE then. No one gave a shit about people with AIDS because most people were not at high risk. It was a "gay disease" and no one cared about gays. We had to force them to even acknowledge it, and then do something. And they did do something, to the point that HIV is totally manageable now.

ntisec.bsky.social•136 days ago

Have you noticed how longcovid patiënts and for decades MEcfs patients are being ignored?

seasthemoment.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank-u for remembering💙💞

iddocjen.bsky.social•137 days ago

What do you think of this?

https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/rally-in-support-of-u-s-foreign-aid-wednesday-february-5/

tweetbharara.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you!! We need more of this attitude!

slammaslamma.bsky.social•137 days ago

I am with you brother. My father list his job as a prominent redwood researcher because Reagan, as California Governor, said "One redwood looks just like another . " For DECADES the GOP kills what they don't understand.

taylorf922.bsky.social•137 days ago

Keeping the Faith!

leptospirosis.bsky.social•137 days ago

Yeah get to work…. Whatever that is

neilc-atl.bsky.social•137 days ago

With you. I started volunteering with Georgia Equality when the rapist got elected. Lots of my LGBTQAI bros and sisters ready to jump back in.

travelbug5.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you. I’ve never lived through this so it’s scary to see fascists elected and private citizens rifling through our confidential payment systems.

caseyaac.bsky.social•137 days ago

Leadership like yours is beyond price, not least because you can't be bought. Thank you for the strength and the hope.

luv48.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you! Yes—public opinion matters. Even though it may look bleak now.

antiggy1998.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you. I'm glad you are here yet I am sad you have so much experience!

krazycanuck70.bsky.social•137 days ago

I hope your right 🤞🏼

thinkingurl.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you. I needed this kind of energy in my life. And a fellow New Englandah.

dez833.bsky.social•137 days ago

👌💙🥂

wendylu.bsky.social•136 days ago

i’ve been rewatching act up documentary and angels in america as a reminder

escapingorange.bsky.social•137 days ago

Yes but they didn't purge the military and government of dissenters.
All the courage in the world can't beat the US military.
Just saying ...

colorfulforest.bsky.social•137 days ago

I’m terrified, too. A ton of this is going to be fought in the courtroom. Democracy Docket, Democracy Forward are both great orgs. There’s a memo from the GOP when they were gumming up the works in ‘08 during a blue trifecta. We follow it & add our own stamp. There are protestors at OMB right now

lelanghe.bsky.social•137 days ago

great post!

respect!

pacificcoaster1.bsky.social•137 days ago

This seems far worse. I'm old and I haven't seen an unelected, foreign billionaire gain access to Top Secret documents in the State Department and all our tax and Social
Security information. Heather Cox Richardson says it is dire and we are in the midst of a Coup. I wish people would wake up!

carebear70.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you for the optimism 😬

sweddy65.bsky.social•137 days ago

I was the oldest person at a protest against Children’s National Hospital complying in advance and shutting down gender-affirming care BUT the youth called on ACT UP history and it was beautiful.

barkanic.bsky.social•137 days ago

The fall of democracy started with Rotten Reagan

justvote2024.bsky.social•137 days ago

Yes it certainly did

caemgirl.bsky.social•136 days ago

Absolute fact.

seasthemoment.bsky.social•137 days ago

Who isn’t finally surprised?
Raised 2children during Reagonomics.
Barely could afford to feed my sons, let alone myself.
I wasn’t thin because I wanted to be🫣😱

barkanic.bsky.social•137 days ago

Fuck Reagan. The beginning of the end of democracy

paradigm317.bsky.social•137 days ago

Yes sir. Courage is contagious

fucctrump.bsky.social•137 days ago

Resistance to apartheid within South Africa took many forms over the years, from non-violent demonstrations, protests and strikes to political action and eventually to "armed resistance"... This last sentence is what defeated it.

907.life•136 days ago

You and I are probably of an age. One of the advantages of being north of the half-century mark is that you realize that progress inevitably fuels backlash. But we’ve made *so* much progress in my lifetime. We’ll fight our way thought this as well, and come out better and stronger at the other end.

chefdiogenes.bsky.social•136 days ago

Trying to figure out what to do, this IS my first rodeo with this sort of thing

sombre-reality.bsky.social•136 days ago

Difference being the sole aim of Bush and Reagan was not to turn the US into a fascist authoritarian rogue state within a month. Sooner if possible.

baileyrobinson.bsky.social•137 days ago

What do we do?

bam-pow.bsky.social•136 days ago

You march, with placards, but it's going to take thousands of us to do it and that will only happen if something REALLY bad happens which it will.

bleuchat.bsky.social•137 days ago

How to beat them?
What to do?
🤷🏼‍♀️

colorfulforest.bsky.social•137 days ago

Demand your reps make as much noise as they can to gum up the wheels in Congress. Here’s some inform to get started https://5calls.org/ We need to create friction!!!

drlizgeriatrics.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you for your leadership. That is pretty much what I said there is no alternative to standing up, donating, working, and organizing. Oh and resisting.

karlafisk.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you, Greg. ✊💖✊

thulcandrian.bsky.social•137 days ago

Giddy up

alexanderriccio.bsky.social•137 days ago

Hehehe a bit of Forrest Gump going on here

dlutzow.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you. I feel so damn helpless.

gideonneptune.bsky.social•137 days ago

Keep reminding us.

pauloakira.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thabo Mbeki 🤝 Trummp 🤝 BoIsonaro

It’s surprising for me how little known is the story of AIDS epidemic under Mbeki in South Africa.

laurieschowalter.bsky.social•137 days ago

Yes, we will. Solidarity

bam-pow.bsky.social•136 days ago

It will only take one avent/crisis to get people to take up placards,😉

giraffey.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you for the encouraging words. We are all stronger together. 💖💪🏻

happycarlson.bsky.social•136 days ago

This is a straight up coup being led by foreign adversaries, oligarchs and Christian Nationalists that have no intention of ever relinquishing power. It's a dire situation that never should have been allowed to get this far and requires serious, forceful, immediate action. There's no other way.

alwaysinabook.bsky.social•137 days ago

💪🏻 💪🏻 💪🏻

sluggobear.bsky.social•137 days ago

I really appreciate you and the things you’re posting. They’re giving me hope and ideas. Thank you 🙏🏻

jeremymuller.com•137 days ago

Thank you for this, it’s encouraging and I really needed this right now.

melfost.bsky.social•137 days ago

Thank you for the encouraging words 🙏 This actually may be my first real rodeo

timhannapel.bsky.social•136 days ago

Whose house can we put a giant condom on?

sophianova.bsky.social•137 days ago

Gregg I’m a trans leader with dsa have written about ACT UP and done a lot of work internally popularizing what yall did, wondering if you would be down to do a public call with myself and or other DSA leaders reflecting on what lessons to learn from act up as a recruitment tool for the org

kmcollado.bsky.social•137 days ago

Sounds good.

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