Thirty years ago today it happened first in Georgia. Two-thousand scientists, health officials and activists convened in Atlanta on a sunny morning at the Georgia World Congress Center. Outside, pine tree pollen blanketed the landscape. Inside, the camaraderie of those early days evoked smiles, greetings, and a few hugs before hearty embraces became an American norm. The competition and contention remained – there were lives to be saved, grants to be won, and careers to be built – but the horrific threat of the new disease demanded a degree of collaboration.
For three days in mid-April, 1985, the first International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) convened in Atlanta, the home of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Largely organized by Americans, the gathering was co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) along with a clutch of agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Human Services. Participants represented more than thirty countries. I covered the conference for The Advocate, the national news magazine, and for several GLBT newspapers. I had reported on AIDS since 1982 and participated in the 1983 GLBT health conference in Denver, a forerunner to the international AIDS conference.
For three days in mid-April, 1985, the first International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) convened in Atlanta, the home of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Largely organized by Americans, the gathering was co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) along with a clutch of agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Human Services. Participants represented more than thirty countries. I covered the conference for The Advocate, the national news magazine, and for several GLBT newspapers. I had reported on AIDS since 1982 and participated in the 1983 GLBT health conference in Denver, a forerunner to the international AIDS conference.
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