Aids is Not A Game Game

Inspired by the death of his friends, the poster was created during the AIDS crisis by Robert Birch, who was a part of the AIDS Awareness Committee at Pierce College. It depicts a game board of the life of a player who contracts HIV/AIDS and dies as a result of it. However, it was not meant to be played. It was created in mind to capture attention by scaring individuals who believed they were in no danger from AIDS. 1 Birch and the committee were sending a message to show the varying lives HIV+ individuals can have.

Thousands were made and posted all over the campus during AIDS Awareness Week. Birch's poster was reported to the Los Angeles Times on March 6, 1992, getting backlash from AIDS activists. They commented that it was "insensitive" and "offensive" and portrayed the disease as hopeless. 2 Moments on the board such as "sexual assault by HIV+ person" fear mongers an unrealistic perspective on how AIDS can be contracted. In response, Birch states "My compatriots in the AIDS community have approved of the flier because, unlike government-generated materials, it does not sugar-coat reality… My job is to prevent a 17-year-old from killing the 50-year-old that he or she could become.” 3

1.  Johnson, John. "AIDS Game Poster Draws Attention--and Complaints at College: Education: The placard at Pierce was designed to counter ignorance, but some health professionals call the format offensive." Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 1992, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-06-me-3480-story.html

2. ibid

3. USC Libraries, 30 Nov. 2020, https://www.facebook.com/USCLibraries/photos/a.424279414067/10159338317174068/?type=3