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1987–1996 · New York City, New York, and Washington, D.C.

ACT UP & the AIDS treatment activists

Public health & patient rights

People confronting AIDS organized protests, studied medical research and challenged government agencies over access to treatment. ACT UP and the Treatment Action Group helped reshape relationships between patients, researchers and regulators. How to Survive a Plague follows activists through illness, disagreement, loss and scientific progress.

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Content note

Source note: screen portrayals may condense events or use fictional characters. Books and films are identified separately; a companion book is not necessarily the film’s source.

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The Story

Start Here
When1987–1996
WhereNew York City, New York, and Washington, D.C.
In this collection3 resources

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Blogs & Essays

The Journal

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From the journal

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Blogs & essays

1 items
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Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.

Historical source

FDA history of HIV/AIDS and treatment activism

The agency’s history documents the 1988 ACT UP protest and developments in treatment and prevention. It supplies regulatory context for the film without attributing every medical advance to one organization.

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Books

Read The Story

CONTINUE YOUR READING

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Books

1 items

David France

How to Survive a Plague

A later, expanded written history by the documentary’s director. The film came first.

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Movies & TV

Documentaries & Adaptations

Movies

1 items
About these sources

Watch links, previews and title listings are identified below. Rentals or subscriptions may be required.

Film / television guide

How to Survive a Plague (2012)

Documentary built from archival footage and activists’ accounts. Official filmmaker page; the later book expands on the history.

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TV & documentaries

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Podcasts & Audio

Listen & Explore

Podcasts

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Social Media

Videos & Conversations

Social Media

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News & Reading

Reporting, Clippings & Archives

Free & Library Reading

1 sources

Explore free articles, book previews and library options. The label on each item explains what you can access; a catalog entry does not mean the whole book is free.

Google Books · Catalog / Availability

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Related book record. Google may offer selected pages or another edition; full-book access is not confirmed.

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Reading Access Notes

Search reviewed 2026-09-15. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine. Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait.

A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.

News & reporting

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Newspaper clippings

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Internet Archive

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Court & Files

Explore The Documents

Court records & documents

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About these sources

Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.

No accessible court document has been verified for this case yet.

New material will appear here after editorial review.

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Roads Traveled

Maps & Locations

Roads Traveled

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New York City, New York, and Washington, D.C.. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.

Where this story happened

New York City, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Highlighted states show regional context, not exact addresses. Ontario and regions outside the contiguous U.S. are listed by name.

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Boundaries: Natural Earth · public domain

Location research & source notes

This case was added after the September 14 map-source review and has not yet been checked against those sources.

The map shows regional context for this case. No individually sourced historical place is included below.

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Positive Outcome

Laws, Advocacy & Change

Positive Outcome

0 items
About these sources

Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.

No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.