PAIGE SMITH

A Pandemic Love Letter | 2021

digital photography Series

AIDS was recognized as a disease in the United States in 1981 and rapidly became an epidemic disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ people. Governments remained silent for years and many HIV+ people remained silent due to fears of bigotry and violence. The slogan ‘Silence=Death’ alongside its iconic pink triangle was an attempt to catalyze societal change. As a queer bisexual woman living through the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, I am personally re-invested in the ramifications of the ‘Silence=Death’ slogan and how our community can find ways to come together during this time.

This photography series, A Pandemic Love Letter, is a reply to the famous slogan as I try to speak up and create community during a time of extreme isolation. I photographed my queer friends and adorned them in all pink. Just as the accompanying pink triangle was reclaimed from its original use during the Holocaust to brand gay men, my friends and myself are dressed in all pink to proudly point to our queerness. We refuse to remain silent and recognize how the current pandemic sits upon a history where the HIV/AIDS pandemic remains a prevalent problem that dispositionally affects LGBTQ+ people.