Feminist Profiles

Women Warriors Against AIDS is a collection of profiles of feminists whose dedication and work centers around issues involving HIV/AIDS. Discovered in the 1970's, this illness has existed for more than thirty years without a proven cure or vaccine. The virus has taken the lives of millions of people and, in 2004, there were nearly forty million people worldwide that were infected with the disease. HIV/AIDS has impacted people in every country, since it does not discriminate based on factors such as race, class status, or sexual orientation. While there is not yet a cure for the virus, there are certainly countries where -- because of economic and medical advantages -- living with the disease is easier than in countries which do not share these advantages and may have no treatments available at all.

Much activist work has been done in response to the virus, which has created a pandemic afflicting millions of people of all classes, races, sexual orientations, etc. Women Warriors Against AIDS is a collection of profiles of women whose life's work has been dedicated to bettering the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS through education, medical treatment, campaigning before governments, patient advocacy, etc. The work of these women is resolutely feminist in nature, as they are working for the betterment in the lives of individuals who have been stigmatized because of their illness. These transnational feminists know that their work, which helps those in their community and their country, is part of a larger global movement. It's a movement that insists the disease be addressed locally and globally because the HIV/AIDS pandemic affects people in every country.

While this website aims to provide a comprehensive list of women whose work has contributed greatly to help people living with HIV/AIDS, it is impossible to profile each and every woman who has made a contribution. Rather, this collection aims to provide information on feminists whose work deals primarily with issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, and women who are living in countries which are struggling to help people living with the disease. We especially attempt to highlight women activists who are helping the people who are often ignored, i.e., those who encounter the greatest hardships when attempting to acquire proper medications, those who are the poorest, the least educated, etc. In addition to the profiles, we have included information as to the impact that HIV/AIDS has had on the particular country in which each woman is focusing her efforts.