Reading Guide: "It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful" Representation and Visibility as Survival
liberation lit. - book club guide - june 2025
It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful by Jack Lowery tells the story of Gran Fury, the art collective that emerged from ACT UP during the AIDS crisis. Using bold and confrontational public art, they fought for visibility, healthcare, and justice. The book explores how art and design can become forces of protest, how grief fueled urgent action, and how art can be a weapon and a lifeline.
Resource List:
Books:
Protest! A History of Social and Political Protest Graphics by Liz McQuiston (2019)
Moving Politics: Emotion and ACT UP's Fight against AIDS by Deborah B. Gould (2009)
Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution (2012)
How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France (2016)
Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir by Paul Monette (1988)
Videos:
1989 - Alison Gertz, living with HIV-AIDS, testimony of an activist (WHO archive): available on youtube
120 Beats per Minute (2017), really good french film.
Reflection Questions:
What emotions did you feel while reading this book?
How did Gran Fury's art confront the silence, stigma, and misinformation surrounding AIDS?
How did Gran Fury's work intersect with issues of identity, including sexuality, gender, and class?
What role did visual representation play in shaping public perception of the AIDS crisis and those affected by it?
How did Gran Fury's work challenge the dominant narratives and stereotypes about people living with HIV/AIDS?
The book highlights the government's inaction and corporate greed during the crisis. How did Gran Fury's art address these systemic failures?
How has the representation of AIDS in art and media evolved since the time Gran Fury was active?
Digging Deeper:
Gran Fury intentionally centered marginalized communities in their AIDS activism through art. How did their art portray the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and gender in the lived experiences of those with HIV/AIDS? Did their choices effectively amplify diverse voices and demands, or did they essentialize complex identities into singular narratives? How did they avoid tokenism, ensuring representation challenged systemic inequalities rather than being merely symbolic? Did they emphasize shared vulnerability and resistance, or explicitly address distinct challenges faced by various marginalized groups?
Gran Fury's use of potentially offensive art raises ethical questions. Was it justified by the AIDS crisis's urgency? How do we balance shocking people into awareness with the risk of alienating them? What was the goal of their provocative art: shock, education, or political action? How effective were these methods? We must also consider if their confrontational style could have unintentionally reinforced negative stereotypes or hindered broader social change. How do we weigh the risks and rewards of such activist strategies?
Jack Lowery's account of Gran Fury's activism highlights their strategic engagement with a range of institutions, recognizing that the AIDS crisis unfolded within and was perpetuated by existing power structures. How did Gran Fury identify the specific mechanisms of power and influence within each institution they targeted? What distinct tactics did they utilize to challenge the status quo and expose institutional failures or complicity in the AIDS crisis? For instance, how did their interventions within the art world (through exhibitions, public installations, and collaborations) aim to reach audiences and disseminate messages that might have been censored or ignored by mainstream media or political channels? How did they directly confront government bodies and public health organizations, utilizing strategies like protests, public demonstrations, and the strategic dissemination of information to demand policy changes and resource allocation? Did they seek to gain access to institutional platforms to amplify their message, or did they primarily operate outside and in opposition to these structures, creating alternative channels of communication and action?
Gran Fury centered marginalized people during the AIDS crisis, a key lesson for today's trans activism. Their bold public art to fight for rights is still relevant. The power of community and clear messaging also applies. But, today's digital world is quite different. How can trans activists use online spaces effectively, learning from Gran Fury's physical art? While Gran Fury was direct, how can trans activists be heard online without being easily attacked or misunderstood? Understanding of gender is more complexly understood now, how can trans activists represent everyone accurately, learning from Gran Fury's focus on diverse experiences? Considering the specific challenges trans people face, how can they adapt Gran Fury's confrontational style to build support and create change today?