Archive / Journal: 1985 - 1995/2001

http://www.renaud-bray.com

http://www.renaud-bray.com

During the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, Vincent Cianni revisited over one hundred rolls of film from NYC Pride marches photographed between 1985 and 1995. For three months, he spent 6 to 8 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week in the darkroom, editing and printing more than 140 photographs, many of which had never been printed before. The images documented Pride marches that took place during the height of another health crisis, the AIDS epidemic, the insidious and devastating disease that ravaged the LGBTQ+ community. The parallels between the two health crises became clear as news reports on the pandemic unfolded, revealing the same failures of government repeating themselves yet again. The marches also affirmed that healthcare, including treatment for people with HIV/AIDS, is a right. They demanded an end to the stigma and criminalization of HIV, as well as a more effective response from medical and government agencies and officials who fail to provide funding for research on medical treatment or offer legal, housing, and medical services to people with limited access. This demonstration of solidarity strengthened the sense of community and helped protect the rights earned from the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 and the first NYC Pride March, also known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, which took place on June 28, 1970, one year after the Stonewall Rebellion.