Related: Biden bans discrimination against LGBTQ people in healthcare40 years ago, doctors noted that five gay men in California — described as “active homosexuals” — had displayed similar, severe symptoms of what appeared to be unusual infections.
Although the disease could have been widespread before then, within a year of the discovery, medical professionals would declare an epidemic and name the disease AIDS.Today, while significant advances have been made in the fight against AIDS and the viruses now known as HIV, the epidemic remains.Biden’s statement acknowledged the sacrifice, struggle, and marginalization that people faced in the fight to combat HIV.“Forty years ago today, five young men in Los Angeles were confirmed as the first.