Untitled (Between C & D) by David Wojnarowicz, 1985, Offset lithograph, 7 × 22in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Tom Rauffenbart, Estate of David Wojnarowicz.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan was once again elected by the American people to serve as the 40th president of the United States. While his presidency was the first to supposedly promise to make America great again, it was also characterized by the culture wars of the 80’s. These culture wars were spearheaded by conservatives who felt as though the country they once knew and loved was slipping from their fingers, they felt as though they were losing to the gay community. This type of fight for the soul of the nation took on a sinister methodology, one that aimed to destroy the humanity of the LGBTQ community at the peak of the devastating AIDS epidemic. David Wojnarowicz aimed to use his art to directly call out institutions like the Supreme Court for justifying the unjust and unconstitutional surveillance of the gay community. Wojnarowicz used his own dialogue to bridge a gap between the bigoted hate of conservatives around the country and the emotional stories of his own youth, hustling and looking for men to replace the love and security he never got from his own home. These bridges reveal just what bigots aim to constantly misunderstand and deny: someone’s humanity. 

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