“I Hope We Leave More of a Record”

Abstract

During the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis, the provision of information was part of the necessary care work for people living and dying with HIV or AIDS. AIDS INFO BBS and the associated caregivers mailing list was a much-needed digital space for sharing the struggles and opportunities of AIDS care work. By charting the creation, contents, and afterlife of the caregivers mailing list digital archive, we examine the ways in which technologies facilitate powerful queer care relations. Through iterative qualitative coding of the archived messages, we examine (1) care networks, (2) novel medical care technologies, (3) and archiving as care work. Despite popular narratives that present the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a relic of the recent past, the HIV/AIDS crisis continues. By providing narratives of continuation from the archive, we uncover a richer understanding of HIV/AIDS histories and the ways in which care was and is provided during this pandemic.