I recall being blown away by the size of the AIDS quilt and the massive number of people filling the National Mall...there could have easily been 100,000s of people! Unfortunately, cable news would only show a few hundred lining the streets for a parade,
I was there to help sign up people for a petition to start a type of "Manhattan Project" to find a cure for AIDS. Unfortunately, most people I encountered were too beaten down and jaded by the Reagan Administration, and didn't think it would do any good. Ultimately, there were a few great AIDS researchers developing antiretroviral drugs that would prove effective.
I fear that today's LGBTQ+ youth may become jaded by the very same Evangelistic forces from Reagan's time that are now behind Project 2025, but I'm encouraged to see that today's society is becoming politically active and that people of all stripes are now protesting the Trump Administration everywhere.
I'm so sorry to hear about your husband, but glad to know that you were able to spend 41 years together...in solidarity,