By queering enduring figures of Americana, the artist explores the politics of blood donation and the residual ignorance surrounding HIV/AIDS.
In April 2020, the CDC made an announcement regarding blood donations: instead of requiring celibacy from gay men for a year before donating blood, the requirement would decrease to three months. Unlike the United States’ healthcare system, AIDS does not discriminate based on sexual orientation: numerous risk factors can lead to HIV transmission, but there are no celibacy requirements for donors outside of the gay community –– an archaic remnant of the homophobic myths that surround the disease.