Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community

In this well-researched but somewhat aggrieved history, Noe, a writer and AIDS activist, recounts the history of the AIDS epidemic with a focus on the unsung contributions of straight women. Noe writes, “Straight women have entered the AIDS community throughout the epidemic for various reasons, but all with the same intent: to make a difference.” Noe traces “the battle lines drawn in the first years of the epidemic” and identifies key players such as Elizabeth Taylor (“She was hands-on when it counted, because the epidemic was always personal to her. Friends were dying”) and Princess Diana (who, in 1987, at the first HIV/AIDS hospital unit in London, “shook hands—no gloves, no hesitation—with a man with AIDS... to prove that the virus could not be passed through casual contact”). Noe also includes “stories of [straight] women who were largely unknown, but whose influence affected thousands,” including volunteers, educators, activists, nonprofit executives, doctors, researchers, spiritual leaders, artists, mothers, caregivers, and “fag hags” (“denoting a straight woman who associates with gay men”). In telling her own story (she writes of being antagonized and resented by gay colleagues), Noe takes a somewhat resentful tone, but in general, this lucid and detailed account provides a valuable timeline for those interested in and impacted by the AIDS crisis. (BookLife)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the book's title. It also incorrectly identified the author as a social worker.