Randy Shilts (August 8, 1951 – February 17, 1994) was a gay American journalist and author. He was a reporter for The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle. His best known book was And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, published in 1987. He also wrote a biography of Harvey Milk, The Mayor of Castro Street (1982). His last book, Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military, was published shortly before his death of AIDS at the age of 42. August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Look up gay in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Until several decades ago, the word gay meant something like jolly or mirthful. In contemporary usage, however, that meaning is unusual; the term is usually synonymous with homosexual. ... A reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media. ... The Advocate is a national gay and lesbian biweekly news magazine in the United States. ... The San Francisco Chronicle, the self-described Voice of the West, is Northern Californias largest newspaper. ... And the Band Played On: People, Politics, and the AIDS Epidemic is a book written by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts (original copyright 1987) chronicling the discovery and spread of HIV and AIDS, with a special emphasis on alleged government indifference to what was initially perceived as a gay... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Harvey Milk Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930 - November 27, 1978) an American politician and gay rights activist, was the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco, California. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Red Ribbon is used internationally to symbolize the fight against AIDS AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is defined as a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the depletion of the immune system caused by infection with HIV. Although treatments...
RandyShilts (August 8, 1951 – February 17, 1994) was a gay American journalist and author.
By the time Shilts' book was published it was already clear that the time between infection and the appearance of the disease was rarely less than two years, and on the average eight to ten years.
Gaetan Dugas the "Patient Zero" as presented by Shilts in his book was accepted as fact, and it raised a firestorm of homophobia on top of that which already existed.
RandyShilts was nothing if not opinionated and many people in the community--particularly activists--felt that he grossly misrepresented such issues as AIDS activism and the closing of the San Francisco bathhouses in And the Band Played On.
Shilts was also an outspoken critic of most of the gay press which he felt was too parochial, too concerned with "agenda" rather than reporting, and he hated being called a "gay reporter"--considering himself a reporter who happened to be gay.
RandyShilts understood that he lived in a world that would not take him seriously as a journalist if he was too partial to the gay press or showed too many signs of "non-objective" writing.
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