THE FIGHT AGAINST STIGMA, SHAME, AND IGNORANCE THROUGH THE HEIGHT OF THE HIV/AIDS CRISIS IN THE HEARTLAND OF AMERICA’S WEST
QUIET HEROES
In Salt Lake City, Utah, the Mormon Church’s influence severely complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients received no support from — or were cast into exile by — the political, religious, and medical communities. Further, Mormon culture encouraged gay men to marry women and have a family to cure themselves of their “affliction,” counsel which led to secret affairs and accidental marital transmissions of HIV. In the entire state and intermountain region there was only one doctor to serve all HIV/AIDS patients. This is the story of her fight to save the lives of a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die.
Credits
VAVANI PRODUCTIONS Presents QUIET HEROES Edited by PATRICK RYAN GASS Director of Photography TORBEN BERNHARD Music by JEREMY CHATELAIN & MATT MATEUS Executive Producers JARED RUGA, JONATHAN M. RUGA & SCOTT F. YOUNG Produced by JARED RUGA, JENNY MACKENZIE & AMANDA STODDARD
Directed by JENNY MACKENZIE, JARED RUGA & AMANDA STODDARD