My Roots as an Activist

ABSTRACT

Caitlin Ryan describes her early activist experiences, highlighting her work coordinating the 2nd National Gay Health Conference in 1979, publishing the first national lesbian and gay health directory, organizing the National Lesbian and Gay Health Foundation, and initiating and serving as co-investigator of the National Lesbian Health Care Survey. She describes the challenges of funding these and other projects, and of integrating lesbian activism into her life. An early AIDS activist, Ryan was the first director of AID Atlanta, a member of the Federation of AIDS Related Organizations, a founder of the National Association of People with AIDS, and a convener of the minority AIDS working group that became the National Minority AIDS Council. Drawing on her extensive experience, Ryan discusses the challenges facing lesbian research today. She believes that research and training infrastructure are sorely needed, particularly funding for policy and applied research to address longstanding gaps in understanding our rapidly evolving communities. Noting that our diversity and our evolving needs require more varied funding approaches that do not fit the narrow scope or “disease model” focus of government agencies, she urges lesbian activists to advocate for these issues.

Key Words:

• Lesbian
• lesbian activism
• fundraising