‘Gay plague’: The vile, horrific and inhumane way the media reported the AIDS crisis

In the 1980s, the AIDS crisis hit the UK, killing thousands and disproportionately claiming the lives of young men in the gay community. PinkNews looks at headlines from the 1980s as we mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day on December 1.

The outbreak of AIDS gave the tabloid media an incentive to further demonise gay and bisexual men in Britain.

Although homosexuality was partially decriminalised in 1967, many LGBT+ people in the UK were still treated like second-class citizens.

To mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day on Saturday (December 1), PinkNews has looked at how the gay community were treated by the tabloid media during the AIDS crisis in the UK, including the sudden death of US actor Rock Hudson in 1985, which sparked speculation about his sexuality.

“Gays in fear”: The Sun, 1983

“Gay virus plague”: The Mail on Sunday, 1980s

“I’d shoot my son if he has AIDS,” next to a spread about funeral expenses: The Sun, 1985

“Gay plague agony”: News of the World, 1980s

Tabloids reporting on the death of Rock Hudson, 1985

The AIDS crisis and its impact

It’s estimated that nearly 37 million people are living with HIV globally and more than 35 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses across the world since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Today, HIV-positive individuals can lead a healthy and full life if they are diagnosed early and receive effective treatment.

Getting an HIV test is easier than ever, and results are available in minutes.

Numerous studies have underpinned the Undetectable = Untransmittable or “U=U” campaign.

This mean that, if a person with HIV is on effective treatment, so that they have an undetectable viral load, the virus cannot be passed on to another individual.