The documentary AFTER 82 shoud be compulsive viewing for the entire LGBTQ+ community. It covers the worst time in our history, and in part makes for tough viewing for all of us who physically lived through this period. There was this undeniable feeling of helplessness as the AIDS pandemic indiscriminately ravaged through the very core of our community. In 1995, the year before the introduction of Protese Inhibitors which was the first medication to finally stop HIV becoming AIDS, 1851 people were diagnosed with AIDS in the UK, and 1531 people died of AIDS. Including the ‘husband’ of Queerguru’s Editor .
This is the debut film from Steve Keeble and Ben Lord who through a series of poignant and moving interviews layout the facts to make this the perfect unofficial record of a period in our history that we really need to know about. They include Martyn Butler one of the founders of the Terrence Higgins Trust which became such a crucial center of excellence: Lisa Power one of the co-founders of Stonewall UK; Jonathan Grimshaw a co-founder of Body Positive who also founded The Landmark a day centre in south London; Dr Rupert Whittaker who was Terrence Higgins boyfriend; actor and activist Jonathan Blake; and of course the campaigner and activist Peter Tatchell etc. They also included some remarkable testimonies from long-term survivors some of whom were sharing their stories publicly for the first time.
What came shining through loud and clear was the fact that all these community leaders where not just campaigning for better medication and a cure, but also for both respect and acceptance. The later seeming so very simple when we write about them now, but at the time were the two qualities that made life so unbearable for most people with HIV and AIDS.
Then there were the Politicians. Like Reagan in the USA, the rampantly homophobic Margaret Thatcher never uttered the word AIDS. To exasperate matters even further, right smack in the middle of the pandemic she passed a law called CLAUSE 28 that banned schools from even mentioning the word gay. What we didn’t remember until watching this film that Norman Fowler, The Secretary of Health was a rare empathic presence in Thatcher’s government, determined to take whatever action was necessary to tackle the crisis, despite considerable opposition from tabloids, faith leaders and fellow ministers. Although he left the position of health secretary in 1987, he never stopped campaigning on issues around HIV.
After 82 is a remarkable memorial for all our loved ones whose lives were so tragically cut short, but its also testimony to how our community grew a big set of balls and learnt how to take control of our futures. Whilst it may serve up sad memories for people who lived through this all, many of whom suffered from ‘survivor guilt, it is a perfect chance for younger generations of queer men and women to do thier own level best that history like this does not repeat itself
