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23 minutes of lesbian rage that changed how America talked about women and AIDS. Cosmo never saw them coming.
TMDB
100

Doctors, Liars, and Women: AIDS Activists Say No to Cosmo (1988)

activist fever dreamradical DIY energylesbian power hour

Overview

Documentary

Outraged by the controversial January, 1988 article in Cosmopolitan magazine, the women in the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, (Act Up, New York), organized the first AIDS demonstration focused on women. Doctors, Liars and Women:AIDS Activists Say No To Cosmo not only documents the efforts of the Women's Committee to organize this protest, it also serves as a how-to-guide for direct action.

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Content warning
woman directoraidshivcosmopolitan

Standout Aspects

Direction

Carlomusto and Maggenti's raw, unapologetic vérité style

Editing

Seamless blend of protest footage and organizing how-to

Production

Made on zero budget with maximum political impact

Best for:Solo: When you need to feel furious and hopeful in under 30 minutes·Friends: Watch with your most radical friend, then plot your own protest·Rewatch: Required viewing before every Pride month, honestly
Heads up:Triggers: 1980s AIDS crisis trauma, medical discrimination against women·Language: Period-accurate slurs and graphic safe-sex education
Maria Maggenti

Director

Maria Maggenti

ReleasedJan 1, 1988
Runtime23m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensityhigh
Tonemixed
Feelheavy

Ask about Doctors, Liars, and Women: AIDS Activists Say No to Cosmo

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

This protest forced Cosmo to print a retraction, one of the rare times a women's magazine admitted fault under activist pressure.

Insight

Maggenti went on to direct 'The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love' (1995), making this a hidden gem in lesbian cinema history.

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