Sex in the Streets: Akimbo, AIDS & Cultural Activism (1989-1992)

Boy with Arms Akimbo/Girl with Arms Akimbo was an anonymous queer cultural activist network founded in San Francisco in 1989 at the peak of the AIDS crisis. For three years, they covered the urban landscape in San Francisco and beyond with DIY Xeroxed posters and other graphic productions that aimed to spark passersby to question their conceptions of sex. Akimbo not only attracted the gaze of city dwellers, but also made effective use of the media, receiving coverage across the United States.
This illustrated talk by Isabelle Alfonsi, a feminist researcher and gallery owner from Paris, looks at Akimbo as a case study to define queer art as a renewed possibility for collective action and for the creation of diversified visualizations of bodies and sexualities. Alfonsi has done extensive research in the archives of the GLBT Historical Society, which preserves the complete archives of Akimbo.

Posters from the Boy With Arms Akimbo/Girl With Arms Akimbo Records in the archives of the GLBT Historical Society. Photo: Gerard Koskovich 
LOCATIONThe GLBT History Museum4127 18th St., San Franciscowww.glbthistory.orgADMISSION$5.00 | Free for membersJOIN THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETYBecome a member of the GLBT Historical Society for free admission to the exhibition opening and other programs, free museum admission, discounts in the museum shop and other perks: goo.gl/WjkGSn

Header photo credit: French author and gallerist Isabelle Alfonsi. Photo: Matt Taylor.