The Legal Battle for LGBTQ+ Rights in Braschi v. Stahl
Background
AIDS Crisis
The AIDS virus first appeared in the 1980s. It is the last stage of HIV, a virus that attacks your immune system. The government's inaction left both the LGBTQ+ community and the general public uninformed. The virus was initially called Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID) due to the virus being most common in the gay community.
Those whom AIDS impacted (Courtesy of the British Journal of Photography)
Opposing Views
The lack of government response led to increasing criticism from the LGBTQ+ community, notably as political officials avoided discussing the crisis for years. Many people at the time believed that the AIDS crisis was a massive threat to public healthcare and blamed the gay community, saying that the disease was punishment for acting out and not having traditional couples.
"AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."
--Jerry Falwell, American Citizen at the time of the AIDS Crisis
People demanding research on AIDS (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Magazine)
People protesting government inaction on AIDS (Courtesy of National Geographic)
Miguel Braschi and Leslie Blanchard
Braschi and Blanchard met on 12,27,1975. Blanchard was a well-known hairstylist, while Braschi was a college student. The two immediately fell in love.
Leslie Blanchard in a shampoo ad, 1966. (Courtesy of NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project)
Interview with Miguel Braschi, 1989. (Courtesy of AIDs Quarterly-PBS)
In 1976, Braschi moved in with Blanchard in New York, and their love persevered. They cared for each other when they were sick, shared a joint bank account, and Miguel helped Leslie with his salon. Their lives were fully intertwined like a traditional married couple. Sadly, after more than ten years of their life together, Blanchard passed away due to AIDS.
"the home that they created in their apartment [seemed] like the home of any happily married couple."
--One of Leslie Blanchard and Miguel Braschi's Mutual Friends