Episode 5: The Anonymous Letter

Hillary and Tina cover the political failures of America’s HIV/AIDS crisis and former Roslyn County Superintendent Frank Tassone.

Hillary’s Story:
In the mid to late 1970s, gay men throughout America started dying at major rates from what appeared to be minor infections. By the time government entities, politicians, and community leaders focused more on why this was happening, rather than who it happened to, more than five thousand people had died.

Tina’s Story:
In 2002, Roslyn County School Board members believed Superintendent Frank Tassone had their best interest when he quietly prevented a potential scandal from going public and tarnishing the County’s pristine reputation. But, in 2004, the curtain lifted on the well-dressed and well-respected Tassone, and his pursuit of the good life finally caught up with him.

Sources
Hillary's Story
New York Times
"Judging Mayor Koch’s AIDS Record, Whispers Aside"--Ginia Bellafante

NBC News
"LGBTQ History Month: The early days of America's AIDS crisis"--Tim Fitzsimons

UCSF
"Thirty Years of AIDS: A Timeline of the Epidemic"--Lisa Cisneros

Avert
"History of HIV and AIDS Overview"--Avert

Wikipedia
HIV/AIDS

Photos
Time
"The Photo That Changed the Face of AIDS"--Ben Cosgrove
David Kirby--by Therese Frare

NBC News
"LGBTQ History Month: The early days of America's AIDS crisis"--Tim Fitzsimons
ACT UP Activists--by Catherine McGann

ACT UP Poster--by ACT UP New York

Tina's Story
Wikipedia
Nassau County, New York

New York Times
“Roslyn Schools Superintendent Resigns as Officials Investigate District's Financial Scandal”--Michelle O'Donnell

New York Times
“A Suspicious Clerk and a School Scandal”--Paul Vitello

New York Magazine
“The Bad Superintendent”--Robert Kolker