(1986-1996)
Facing the Challenge focuses on the next phase as local helpers who, in the absence of cohesive intervention from state and federal government, rallied to organize and support those affected by the epidemic.

We saw groups such as the Ad-Hoc Group Against Crime and the Good Samaritan Project emerge to support a vulnerable community in a time of need. Many in the broader public saw AIDS as punishment for an “alternative lifestyle,” which caused a lack of urgency from mainstream resources and a mindset that the Gay community was not worth saving. This indifference led to the formation of groups such as the “Condom Crusaders” and the organization of services like the Gay Talk and Teens TAP information hotlines. A Kansas City drag troupe known as the “Trollops” was formed to raise money for local AIDS service organizations.

One unlikely source of support were local churches. While many pastors saw homosexuality as a moral failing and a sin, some realized early on that the church and the clergy could be a vehicle for lifesaving information.

As much as the beginning of the epidemic was filled with pain and sorrow, the tragedies brought out the best in the many who stepped forward.

Kansas City PBS - KCPT, Kansas City