Digital Transgender Archive

The Endurance of Protest

The ACT UP San Francisco ACT NOW Handbook from June 1990 was recently added to the DTA through external linking to the Internet Archive. It appears that this handbook was made specifically as a helpful guide for activist events occurring from Sunday, June 17, 1990 through Sunday, June 24, 1990. Events during this week included public demonstrations and protests, workshops, drag shows, and an HIV/AIDS march, to name a few. What especially interested us were the sections detailing what to do and expect in situations of protest, especially the probable event of getting arrested. Some of us have been lucky enough to participate in protests ourselves, and a lot of the advice and concerns involved with protesting have endured through the years. This object gives a very clear glimpse into the reality of protests in the 1990s as much as it leaves us asking more questions. The fact that it even exists at all and is so thorough alludes to a very involved and connected community of activists in San Francisco during this time.