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Surviving & Thriving: AIDS, Politics, and Culture

America Responds to AIDS

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Your daughter worries about AIDS, 1980s

Imploring parents to talk to children about sex and AIDS, this poster tapped into paternal fears about young women and AIDS.

  • Publisher(s):
    Centers for Disease Control
  • Type:
    Poster
Black and white photograph of White man in sweater looking at viewer to the left of text.

The America Responds to AIDS campaign presented a diverse group of people addressing a litany of questions about AIDS. The questions used an unidentified interviewer to present these fictional conversations, all with men in this case, as happening all over America. The posters did not include any actual information on prevention or testing, the campaign encouraged a dialogue about AIDS among peers that diffused some of the shame and anxiety associated with the disease. In this way, the campaign combated AIDS by first addressing the fear.

Choose from the group
  • Blue tinted photograph of a white teenage boy looking at the viewer
  • Black and white photograph of a white man resting his hand underneath his chin, looking at the viewer. Only his head is evident.
  • Blue tinted photograph of a white man holding a hard hat, looking at the viewer.
  • Black and white photograph of White man in sweater looking at viewer to the left of text.
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  • Read Transcription

    Talk About AIDS. Your Daughter Worries About AIDS.

    Tom: AIDS is not even in the picture for my daughter.

    Why not?

    Tom: She’s got boys and books and ballgames on her mind. Not AIDS.

    Are you sure?

    Tom: Yes.

    She’s probably heard a lot about AIDS.

    Tom: I’ll tell you, my girl isn’t worried about AIDS because I haven’t scared her by talking about it.

    What if she’s heard rumors that scare her?

    Tom: She would come and talk to me, I guess.

    When you talked about sex with your dad, did you ever start the conversation?

    Tom: No, he did.

    Does that tell you anything?

    Tom: I need to talk to my daughter.

    AMERICA RESPONDS TO AIDS. 1-800-342-AIDS.

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