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Valerie Reyes-Jimenez called it \u201cThe Monster.\u201d That\u2019s how some people described HIV and AIDS in the 1980s. Valerie thinks as many as 75 people from her block on New York City\u2019s Lower East Side died. They were succumbing to an illness that was not recognized as the same virus that was killing young, white, gay men just across town in the West Village. At the same time, in Washington, D.C., Gil Gerald, a Black LGBTQ+ activist, saw his own friends and colleagues begin to disappear, dying out of sight and largely ignored by the wider world. In this guest episode from WNYC Studios\u2019 new Blindspot series, hear how HIV and AIDS was misunderstood from the start\u2014and how this would shape the reactions of governments, the medical establishment, and numerous communities for years to come.\xa0 Listen and subscribe to the rest of the series here. \u2014\u2014\u2014 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices