My mother has been in the dance community in Atlanta (one of the epicenters of AIDS) for over 50 years. I was here and grown when AIDS struck Atlanta.
The then mayor, Andrew Young, was a very liberal and relatively young black man at that time. He wanted to close the bathhouses and use the normal quarantine-and-trace public health measures for AIDS.
His common-sense proposal was met with a firestorm of opposition by the very influential Atlanta gay community. He was threatened, protesters dogged him everywhere he went, and the usual liberal suspects joined the gays in screaming "civil rights violation!". The liberal newspapers joined in the cry for Young's blood, especially the little local papers like Creative Loafing and Southern Voice.
Andy wimped out and withdrew all his proposals. I think he was a coward to do so, but his political career would have been over instanter if he had persisted.
This author is blaming the Republicans when she needs to look in the mirror (or blame her deceased husband and his associates, which she will not do.)
This author is very much a he and he seems to refer to his partner as his husband.
What I found striking about this article is that it acknowledges that conservatives were right all along. Of course, then it proceeds to blame them for not winning the argument over the objections of those, like himself, who fought us tooth and nail.
Interestingly, he doesn't mention what his own position was at the time. I'm sure he mirrored those of the gay community.
I think you mean when he needs to look in the mirror or blame his husband.
MM