Roger Gail Lyon

Little is known of Roger Gail Lyon except for one important testimony he gave to a Congress committee on AIDS, that took place on August 1st, 1983, one of the greatest activism moments of the period. Lyon was born in 1948 in Houston, later moved to Chicago and finally San Francisco where he became a branch manager for the San Francisco Maritime Shipping Company. In early 1983, he was diagnosed with AIDS and along with several other victims of the disease, he had the opportunity to offer insights about it to Washington politicians who didn't know much about this new infirmity yet they were ones who controlled the budget for more research about a possible cure or treatment. Lyon's testimony was key with the following words: "I came here today with the hope that this administration would do everything possible, make every resource available. There is no reason this disease cannot be conquered. We do not need in fighting, this is not a political issue. This is a health issue. This is not a gay issue. This is a human issue. And I do not intend to be defeated by it. I came here today in the hope that my epitaph would not read that I died of red tape". Excerpts of his quote can be found on Randy Shilts' book, And the Band Played On (1987), later turned into an HBO film in 1993, which also includes the actual clip with his words. He died of complications of AIDS in 1984, survived by his partner and his mother. Lyon's ashes were scattered, along with many other AIDS victims ashes, at the White House lawn during an ACT UP protest, in 1996.