Activism

Alan Klein was an early member of the AIDS activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) and he co-founded the LGBTQ+ rights organization Queer Nation.

  • ACT UP/NY (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power)

    Actions Committee Chair & Coordinating Committee Member
    Early member of internationally-known AIDS activist organization that worked to end the AIDS crisis.

    • Chaired committee that organized many of ACT UP’s largest and most impactful demonstrations.
    • Cited in several books and documentaries about the AIDS activist movement.

  • Queer Nation NY

    Co-founder
    Trailblazing, direct action LGBTQ rights organization that spawned international chapters.

    • Chronicled in the Alan Klein Papers, housed at The Fales Library and Special Collections of New York University.

Queer Nation (2013)
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Queer Nation (2013)

In 2013, in response to the passage by the Kremlin of an anti-gay law, original members of Queer Nation met to raise awareness of the plight of LGBTQ Russians. The veteran Queer Nationals were also concerned for the safety of LGBTQ+ Russians, visitors, and athletes in the lead up to the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia.

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Queer Nation (1990s)
activism, Queer Nation Alan Klein activism, Queer Nation Alan Klein

Queer Nation (1990s)

Queer Nation was an LGBT direct action organization founded in New York City in March 1990 by AIDS activists from ACT UP/NY (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). The four founders — Tom Blewitt, Alan Klein, Michelangelo Signorile and Karl Soehnlein — were outraged by the escalation of violence against LGBT New Yorkers and decided to take action.

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