The Normal Heart and And the Band Played On

If you missed it, see if you can find it on HBO or Netflix -- The Normal Heart, which is the sad story of early HIV/AIDS cases in NYC based on a true story of activism. http://thenormalheart.hbo.com

Mark Ruffalo did an amazing job sharing Larry Kramer's story and dispelling any stigma that could still linger 30 years later. Thank God Kramer lived to see it air after all the years he spent trying to get it produced by Hollywood (following successful stage productions).

For even more HIV/AIDS history, read "And the Band Played On" if you haven't already. It's a gripping murder mystery that opens with the Tall Ships Bicentennial parade in NY Harbor, and tracks the individuals and agencies who played various roles (or not) in identifying who/what was responsible for unexplained deaths among gay men in NY, LA and other places. Politics up the ying-yang. This is a story close to my heart, since I worked at CDC and UCLA, both major players in this saga, and helped identify expert consultants and a lab tech from France for HBO producers when they turned Randy Shilts' book into the movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106273/

He died years later of AIDS, but not before he wrote Conduct Unbecoming, the "thoroughly researched and engrossingly readable history on the subject" (New York Times Book Review) of gays in the military.