Sean Strub and the Art of Activism

Sean Strub is one of the foremost HIV/AIDS activists in the world, as well as an influential campaigner for LGBT rights. As he travels from his native US to London, where he will be speaking at London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard’s wellbeing day, Patrick Cash caught up with him to find out more about his life, legacy and what still drives him. 

Sean Strub
Sean Strub (image supplied)

Tell us a little about yourself. 
I’m not sure where to start! I’m 56, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, and I’ve been living with HIV for my entire adult life. I have a partner, Javier Morales, who I’ve been with for the past 22 years. I live in Milford, PA, where we co-own the Hotel Fauchere, a Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel/restaurant. I founded POZ Magazine, was the first openly HIV+ person to run for US Congress, produced a hit play ‘The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me’, founded the Sero Project and produced and directed a film, HIV is Not a Crime.

How did you first get into activism? 
I grew up in a university town and was exposed to protests against the Vietnam War – I got sent home from school in the 5th grade for wearing a black armband in protest – and I was very involved in feminism, which shaped my political worldview.

Sean Strub
Sean Strub (image supplied)

How did you get Tennessee Williams to sign your Human Rights Campaign Fund?
You have to read the book! The episode is described in detail. Basically, I met him socially, we bonded over Iowa City, and then it was a combination of intellectual persuasion and batting of eyelashes.

What was the story behind covering a Washington official’s house with a giant condom? 
It was US Senator Jesse Helms, the biggest homophobe in the US Senate. We made a 35’ condom out of parachute material and it was a fantastic, fun action.

Sean Strub (image supplied)

What are The Denver Principles and how were you involved with them? 
I wasn’t involved in writing the document, but I think it is incredibly important, sort of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and Magna Carta all rolled into one. The Denver Principles manifesto is the foundation of the self-empowerment movement around HIV/AIDS.

What motivates you to carry on campaigning, and has it changed at all since you started?
I don’t know what I would do otherwise. I think my advocacy has become more intersectional over the years. I’m particularly proud of starting POZ, but my biggest accomplishments are the people I have helped mentor, provided employment for, and had the joy of watching develop as activists. More recently, the progress we’ve had on bringing awareness to and mobilizing advocacy against HIV criminalization has been gratifying, although there is a lot more to do. The biggest change, in terms of the overall movement, other than the social and political progress, is the money involved and how big funders are playing such a key role in directing movement priorities.

Sean Strub
Sean Strub (image supplied)

What do you personally think are the biggest hurdles standing in the way of LGBT equality and communities now the world over? 
Putting as much focus on changing systems of oppression as we invest in seeking legal equality.

And finally, what can we expect from your visit to the UK? Are you looking forward to tackle any problems you perceive on these shores?
I’m looking forward to learning from colleagues and comrades working on behalf of people with HIV and those who are disenfranchised and particularly how the self-empowerment movement for people with HIV manifests itself today.

• Sean Strub will be a keynote speaker at an event to make 40 years of London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard, on Saturday 20th September, held at Positive East, 159 Mile End Road, Stepney Green, E1 4AQ, from 10am-4pm, with Sean speaking at 2.30pm.

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