April 8, 2026

šŸ’¬ ACT UP and the Ashes Action — Discussion Guide

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Kris Fitzgerald
Creator, TWiQH

ACT UP and the Ashes Action

In the fall of 1992, people walked up to the White House fence carrying something no protester had ever carried before: the ashes of the people they loved.

šŸ“ŗ Watch the episode: View on YouTube →

5 Questions to Reflect On

  • 1. ACT UP members taught themselves… ACT UP members taught themselves pharmacology and regulatory law to make specific, technical demands of the government.
  • 2. The political funeral was built… The political funeral was built on a powerful idea: grief belongs in public, not just in private.
  • 3. The Silence=Death Project created one… The Silence=Death Project created one of the most enduring images in protest history by reclaiming a symbol of persecution and making it into a symbol of resistance. What symbols, slogans, or images from today feel like they carry that same kind of transformative power?
  • 4. ACT UP was famously fractious… ACT UP was famously fractious. People argued constantly about tactics, targets, tone, and strategy. "Stop the Church" divided the LGBT community at the time.

Download the Discussion Guide

**šŸ“„ Download the free discussion guide (PDF)**

Print-ready, single page. Great for book clubs, classrooms, and watch parties.

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