+
upworthy
More

This audio of Reagan's press secretary and reporters laughing about AIDS should not be forgotten.

As the AIDS crisis was developing in the early '80s, the Reagan administration was not only largely unconcerned, it apparently thought AIDS was kinda funny.

At three separate press conferences in 1982, 1983, and 1984, President Ronald Reagan's press secretary Larry Speakes responded not only dismissively to questions about the epidemic, but with thinly veiled gay jokes at the expense of the reporter who asked.

The transcripts have been published before, but the audio had never been made public — until today. Filmmaker Scott Calonico managed to acquire the tapes, which he cut into a short film and provided exclusively to Vanity Fair.


The recordings are infuriating — and highly disturbing. (Key passages transcribed below the video).

At the October 1982 press conference, journalist Lester Kinsolving tried to get spokesman Larry Speakes to answer a question about AIDS.

"It's known as the 'gay plague,'" Kinsolving says. A number of the reporters in the room laugh.

"I don't have it. Do you?" Speakes retorts. More laughter.

Photo by Scott Calonico/Vanity Fair.

Later in the conference, in reference to an unrelated question, Kinsolving jokes, "I love you, Larry."

"Let's don't put it in those terms, Lester," Speakes claps back.

(Translation: Kinsolving — "Hey Larry, what about this terrible disease that's wreaking havoc on hundreds of gay men and spreading rapidly that no one knows how to stop?" Speakes: "#nohomo.")

A year later, Kinsolving was back in the press room asking questions. Over 2,000 people had already died from AIDS.

Photo by Scott Calonico/Vanity Fair.

In response to another journalist who used the phrase "fairy tale," Speakes says of Kinsolving: "Lester's ears perked up when you said 'fairies.' He has an abiding interest in that."

Because, you know, of the earlier conversation. About gay people.

Kinsolving then asks if Reagan plans to issue advice on whether gays should stop "cruising" in light of the epidemic. Speakes responds, "If we come up with any research that sheds some light on whether gays should cruise or not cruise, we'll make it available to you." (Emphasis mine.) The reporters start laughing.

"Back to fairy tales," another reporter shouts from the crowd. The laughter intensifies.

By 1984, over 4,000 people had fallen victim to AIDS.

Photo by Scott Calonico/Vanity Fair.

Kinsolving asks Speakes if Reagan has expressed any concern.

"I haven't heard him express concern," Speakes responds.

"Have you been checked?" the press secretary later adds. (Yes, even after thousands of confirmed deaths across the United States and no cure in sight, the idea of Kinsolving being gay and having AIDS continues to be, apparently, pretty funny to Speakes.)

All of this is well-documented, but it's critically important we don't forget.

Photo by Scott Calonico/Vanity Fair.

It's not news that the Reagan administration didn't react with perfect clarity to the early years of the AIDS epidemic. And of course, no one knew the scope of the tragedy that was about to unfold (though many were sounding the alarm).

But it demonstrates how dangerous prejudice can be.

Imagine if, when asked about Ebola earlier this year, President Obama's press secretary had replied, "Psh, no, I'm not African. Are you African?" instead of taking it seriously.

How many more people might have become ill or died if his administration had chosen to ignore the crisis as a result?

Too often, when tragedy strikes, we prefer to see it as someone else's problem.

Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images.

Right now, over 4 million refugees from Syria are in desperate need of food, shelter, and a new country to call home.

"But it doesn't affect me, so I don't care," we think.

Right now, climate change is feeding massive storms and terrible droughts, wreaking havoc on coastal areas and low-lying islands, and displacing millions of people.

"But it doesn't affect me, so I don't care," we think.

Right now, transgender Americans are being murdered at historically high rates.

"But it doesn't affect me, so I don't care," we think.

That's the wrong response. The right response? "It doesn't affect me, but I still care. And I'm going to do something about it."

Not only because one day it might affect you, but because others are suffering.

That should be enough.

Courtesy of Kisha Rose Woodhouse

Man surprises partner by performing haka alone at her graduation


Graduations can be emotional no matter if it's preschool, high school or college. Something about watching a loved one close one chapter to open a new one just does something to you. But sometimes people have a few more challenges getting across the stage that make it feel even sweeter.

One new mom, Kisha Rose Woodhouse, who goes by @kiisha.rose on TikTok, became pregnant and gave birth while finishing up her college degree. Clearly, determined to finish, Woodhouse walked across the stage at graduation with her baby on her hip. But that wasn't what got people all choked up while seeing her video, it was Woodhouse's partner who stood alone in the auditorium.

The man was visibly filled with pride from Woodhouse's accomplishments when he began doing the Tautoko, also known as the haka. Immediately the auditorium fell silent as the man's words and sharp movements filled the air. Seeing him perform such an emotional dance alone to honor his partner is enough to get just about anyone's eyes to water.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Exhausted mom posted a letter begging her husband for help. And then it went viral.

An open letter by Celeste Yvonne shows overwhelmed mothers how to ask for support.

Photo via Celeste Yvonne, used with permission.

Celeste Yvonne wrote a letter to her husband asking for help.

Taking care of a newborn baby is mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausting. For the first four months (at least!), new parents have to dedicate every part of themselves to caring for this young life.

There's little time for self-care during this chaotic period, let alone a moment to be fully present with a partner.

A blogger who goes by the name Celeste Yvonne is the mother of a toddler and a newborn and wrote a revealing open letter to her husband asking for more help with their children. It's going viral because it paints a very real picture of what it feels like to be a mother who feels stuck doing everything.

Keep ReadingShow less
via PixaBay

Being an adult is tough.

Nothing can ever fully prepare you for being an adult. Once you leave childhood behind, the responsibilities, let-downs and setbacks come at you fast. It’s tiring and expensive, and there's no easy-to-follow roadmap for happiness and success.

A Reddit user named u/Frequent-Pilot5243 asked the online forum, “What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?” and there were a lot of profound answers that get to the heart of the disappointing side of being an adult.

One theme that ran through many responses is the feeling of being set adrift. When you’re a kid, the world is laid out as a series of accomplishments. You learn to walk, you figure out how to use the bathroom, you start school, you finish school, maybe you go to college, and so on.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don't know how they do it.

Keep ReadingShow less


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






Keep ReadingShow less
Democracy

These before-and-afters will make you question everything about how our economy works

You'd think it was some sort of natural disaster. Nope. Totally man-made.




Images via GooBingDetroit.

Yup. These images were taken only two years apart. And what you're seeing was not an accident.

When the economy crashed in 2008, it was because of shady financial practices like predatory lending and speculative investing, which is basically gambling, only the entire economy was at stake.

Keep ReadingShow less