A Mysterious Disease

On December 10th, 1981, a mysterious epidemic arose in the United States caused by what was then said to be a combination of pneumonia and skin cancer. Almost all of its victims (92%) were homosexual men, all of which experienced severe weakening of their immune systems. Seventy-five men had already died of the disease.

Eventually a name was given to this new disease: GRID, or Gay-Related Immune Deficiency, and the Gay Men's Health Crisis organization was founded to combat the diease.

In 1982 scientist Bruce Voeller coined the term AIDS, two years before the virus that causes AIDS was discovered and named HIV.

Now it's considered politically incorrect to associate AIDS with homosexuality, because "you don't have to be gay to get HIV". But that's where it all began.