In 2026, exactly 11 years after gay marriage was legalized, we are all familiar with the term “LGBTQ+,” which describes the different identities part of the queer community. Many incredible queer people paved the way for gay rights through ferocious resistance against heteronormativity, and many stories are well known, such as the Stonewall Riot of 1969. But few acknowledge why exactly the “L” comes first in “LGBTQ+.” After all, most of the stories that come to mind regarding gay activism are of gay men, yet lesbians earned their right to the front of the acronym, having served as the backbone of the gay community during the HIV epidemic.
The HIV epidemic was one of the most tragic times in gay history, a completely preventable, treatable disease that killed over 100,000 people during the 1980s according to the CDC Current Trends Mortality Attributable to HIV Infection/AIDS — United States, 1981-1990. A large part of the tragedy was the inaction of the government, namely the Reagan administration, which was heavily critiqued (and deservingly so) for ignoring the crisis for over half a decade. The first case was identified in 1981 by the Center for Disease Control, but the Reagan administration did not publicly address the crisis until 1987, when already 20,000 gay men had died. In addition to this, according to Daniel M. Fox, CDC requests for funding to research and treat the disease were consistently rejected or underfunded, causing a significant delay in the discovery of a treatment, directly leading to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Worst of all, though, was the stigma this created. The disease was quickly associated with being gay, leading to apathy and societal rejection for everyone suffering from the disease. Carriers of HIV were treated like they were dirty, despite public information citing the most common form of transmission was the sharing of needles. In the midst of all this turmoil, lesbians stepped up like no other community to support the infected.
Starting in 1983, when a ban on gay men donating blood was imposed, lesbians were the first to organize to address this. When this led to a widespread blood shortage, lesbian activist groups such as the San Diego Blood Sisters held frequent blood drives and worked with blood banks to ensure blood went to HIV and AIDS patients. Additionally, the moment doctors began refusing care for HIV patients due to the stigma, lesbians stepped in to provide healthcare. On top of all this, lesbians largely participated in different political and educational movements, using their political, professional and personal experiences to advocate for better healthcare, destigmatize the virus, educate the public on safe sex and volunteer in hospice for the men dying of AIDS related complications per, the Youth Co article on lesbian solidarity during the AIDS epidemic. Because of these incredible women, many abandoned HIV-positive people received healthcare and died with companionship, care and dignity. The impact of their actions on the community are immeasurable, from advancements in HIV treatment to the destigmatization, gay and lesbian solidarity blossomed, and a strong respect between gay men and lesbians still exists to this day. To honor their unrelenting selflessness, the community name for queer people, which was originally “GLBT” shifted to “LGBT”. Not only did this honor the countless women who stepped up in tumultuous times for the queer community, but established lesbians as distinct and equal leaders, a small but important step to fight sexism. Lesbians are the unsung heroes of so many stories, and the gay men of the 80s enshrined their activism in a truly unforgettable and undeniable way.