Abstract

Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) was founded in 1982 in New York City to address the health, financial, and emotional crises resulting from the AIDS epidemic; made worse by discrimination, government neglect, and lack of services for people living with AIDS (PWAs). GMHC provided a range of services, including: medical, legal, and financial information, counseling, advocacy, social and emotional support. Although GMHC initially focused on the needs of the gay male community, demographic shifts (e.g., race and mode of HIV transmission) in those needing services contributed to debates among its stakeholders (i.e., board, staff, clients, volunteers) regarding the organization’s identity and priorities. GMHC-related documents (1984-1996) archived at the New York Public Library were analyzed to determine how demographic shifts among PWAs affected GMHC’s commitment and ability to serve all PWAs in NYC. First, records of demographic trends in AIDS diagnoses and deaths collected by New York City’s Department of Health, were compared to demographic trends among GMHC clients reported monthly to the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute. Despite dramatic changes in those primarily affected by AIDS, the proportion of PWAs served by GMHC who were gay, White, and male remained significantly higher every year than those who were heterosexual, people of color, and women. Next, various inflection points were identified in the diversity of GMHC clients relative to PWAs in NYC. These helped focus analyses on critical periods of tension within the organization, and to explain corresponding shifts in organizational culture and policies.