Framing AIDS Mobilization and Human Rights in Post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

Human rights as a collective action frame has been an important aspect of social movement mobilization around AIDS since the beginning of the pandemic 25 years ago. As an epidemic strongly associated with homosexuality and other socially marginalized behaviors, the AIDS movement in the developed world fueled and built on traditions of gay identity politics and gay rights. When the AIDS epidemic was recognized in 1981, the gay movement had already reconstituted itself as a legitimate interest group pursuing civil rights and civil liberties. Building on the preexisting organizational foundations as well as cultural capital of the gay movement as well as others, the AIDS movement was not only able to push for the protection of the civil rights of people living with AIDS, but through its engagement with the medical profession and the political establishment over access to drugs, was able to insist on a correlation between health and human rights.Krista Johnson is Assistant Professor at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta (krmjohnson@agnesscott.edu). Her research on HIV/AIDS in South Africa was funded in part by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Ford Foundation.