Movement, Migration, and the Material History of the AIDS Closet

Abstract

This thesis explores the choices that people living with HIV and AIDS in the United States made to embody various identity constructions as a strategy for survival. While ‘coming out’ is often seen as a social goal, for some, ‘coming out’ was neither a goal, nor desirable given the contexts of community participation, care, and social belonging. Further, people often embodied fluid identities and made choices about their locations and movements, and carefully managed the language of their relationships in order to secure care and social belonging. This thesis also highlights the ways in which objects and spaces associated with sexual difference and/or HIV/AIDS were manipulated and modified in service of managing perceived identity formations.