Pride Season 1 Episode 4 1980s: Underground

Pride season 1 episode 4, titled "1980s: Underground," takes audiences back to the height of the AIDS epidemic and the LGBTQ+ community's response. Set during the Reagan administration, the episode highlights the ways in which government policy and societal stigma exacerbate the crisis faced by LGBTQ+ people around the world.

We are introduced to a number of key figures in the underground movement to support those affected by AIDS, including Larry Kramer, a writer and activist who founded the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and Cleve Jones, a veteran of the civil rights movement who helped organize the first AIDS quilt. The episode draws on their personal experiences to provide insight into the ways in which the queer community came together to meet the needs of their own in the face of overwhelming inaction from those in power.

Throughout the episode, we see a wide range of strategies employed to fight for the rights of people living with AIDS. This includes civil disobedience, such as the ACT UP protests at the FDA headquarters demanding faster drug approvals, and grassroots organizing efforts, such as the formation of community-based health clinics. We also witness important solidarity actions, such as the demand for the release of political prisoners from prisons in South Africa in order to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic there.

Additionally, the episode explores the disproportionate impact of AIDS on marginalized communities, particularly Black and brown queer folks and people who use drugs. We see how the movement for AIDS justice intersects with other struggles for liberation, including the struggle against racism and police brutality.

Ultimately, "1980s: Underground" is a powerful portrait of the ways in which LGBTQ+ people fought for their own survival and dignity in the face of enormous obstacles. Through personal stories and archival footage, the episode makes clear that queer folks have always been at the forefront of the struggle for justice and that we must continue to honor that tradition today.