Peter Staley

Peter Staley
Born	(1961-01-09) January 9, 1961 Sacramento, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Political advocate, HIV/AIDS activist
Known for	ACT UP New York, Treatment Action Group (TAG), AIDSmeds.com, How to Survive a Plague

Peter Staley (born January 9, 1961) is a prominent American political advocate recognized for his contributions to HIV/AIDS activism. As an early participant in ACT UP New York, he established the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and created the educational platform AIDSmeds.com. Staley also appears in the Oscar-nominated film How to Survive a Plague.

Early life and education

Staley was born in Sacramento, California, in 1961, the third child among four siblings. His father initially served as a plant manager at Procter & Gamble before becoming the head of PQ Corporation in Philadelphia. Staley enrolled at Oberlin College, where he began studying classical piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music but later transitioned to economics and government studies. During his junior year, he attended the London School of Economics and completed his degree at Oberlin in 1983. Following graduation, he joined J.P. Morgan, where his brother Jes Staley also worked; Jes eventually rose to CEO positions at J.P. Morgan's Investment Bank and later at Barclays.

In October 2021, Staley released his memoir titled Never Silent, featuring a foreword by Anderson Cooper. The book received praise from Hillary Clinton, who described it as a "timely must-read," emphasizing Staley’s longstanding courageous efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ community.

Participation in ACT UP

After experiencing symptoms reminiscent of those depicted in the drama An Early Frost, Staley was diagnosed with AIDS-Related Complex (ARC) by Dr. Dan William in 1985. He became involved with ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) in 1987 after encountering a flyer promoting their inaugural protest.<ref>Initially working as a bond trader, he chaired ACT UP’s fundraising committee before publicly disclosing his status at work and subsequently taking disability leave.<ref> On March 24, 1988, Staley took part in an ACT UP demonstration on Wall Street, where he was among the first protesters to block traffic by sitting in the street and was openly identified as an "AIDS victim."

On April 25, 1989, along with three fellow activists, Staley barricaded themselves inside Burroughs Wellcome’s offices in Research Triangle Park to protest the exorbitant cost of AZT (priced between $8,000 and $10,000 annually). They employed power tools to affix metal plates over an office door and intended to display a banner visible from Interstate 40 before law enforcement intervened. The group chained themselves together and faced charges including trespassing and property damage.<ref>Staley had previously engaged in negotiations with David Barry, AZT’s developer, aiming to lower the drug’s price; relations improved after Burroughs Wellcome contributed $1 million toward AIDS clinical trials in 1992.

On September 14, 1989, Staley joined six activists who demonstrated at the New York Stock Exchange, chaining themselves to a balcony overlooking the trading floor. They displayed a banner stating "Sell Wellcome," drowned out the opening bell with airhorns, and scattered counterfeit $100 bills criticizing profiteering. Within days, Burroughs Wellcome reduced AZT’s price by 20%.

In 1989, Staley participated in disrupting the Fifth International AIDS Conference held in Montreal, where activists took seats reserved for officials and distributed a Treatment and Data report demanding accelerated access to AIDS medications. Media attention was limited due to simultaneous coverage of events at Tiananmen Square. The following year, he spoke at the Sixth International Conference on AIDS in San Francisco. Throughout his activism career, Staley engaged in numerous protests and was arrested ten times; however, thanks to pro bono legal assistance, he maintains a clean criminal record.<ref>

Engagement with TAG

In 1991, Staley established an ACT UP offshoot initially named Treatment Action Guerrillas, which later became known as Treatment Action Group (TAG). This organization aimed to expedite the development of AIDS treatments by combining activism with direct collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. To announce the group's formation, Staley orchestrated a notable demonstration by covering Senator Jesse Helms' residence with a massive condom, challenging his AIDS policy positions. The protest concluded without any arrests, and it was subsequently disclosed that David Geffen financed this event.

TAG eventually branched off from ACT UP to concentrate on lobbying governmental bodies for swifter drug approvals and the coordination of AIDS research efforts. At the 1992 International AIDS Conference held in Amsterdam, TAG promoted negotiation and strategic engagement over protest actions to advance their objectives. Reflecting later, Staley expressed regret about the division, wishing the two groups had stayed united.

amfAR

Between 1991 and 2004, Staley was a board member of amfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research), a nonprofit organization committed to HIV/AIDS research, prevention initiatives, and treatment education. During this time, amfAR invested upwards of $366 million into programs that significantly propelled advancements in HIV treatment and prevention. Concurrently, Staley was appointed to President Bill Clinton's AIDS National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development, an 18-member panel dedicated to accelerating research on new AIDS medications. In recognition of his efforts, amfAR presented him with their Award of Courage in October 2000.

AIDSmeds.com

Staley launched AIDSmeds.com in 1999 as a resource offering vital information to individuals living with HIV to support informed treatment choices. Over time, the platform broadened its scope to include educational content and resources related to gay health. In 2006, AIDSmeds.com merged with POZ, a prominent publication serving those impacted by HIV/AIDS. Staley remains active within the merged entity as both a blogger and advisory editor.

Anti-crystal meth advertising campaign

In 2004, Staley financed and initiated an advertising campaign in New York aimed at raising awareness about the connection between crystal meth use and HIV among gay and bisexual men. Having personally overcome crystal meth addiction, he placed provocative ads on phone booths along Chelsea’s Eighth Avenue that read "Huge Sale! Buy Crystal, Get HIV Free!" These advertisements sparked mixed reactions, garnering both praise and criticism.

How to Survive a Plague

Staley plays a central role in the 2012 documentary How to Survive a Plague, which documents the onset of the AIDS crisis alongside the activism of ACT UP and TAG. Director David France incorporated extensive archival footage sourced from Staley’s personal VHS archives. The film achieved an Oscar nomination and won best documentary awards from both the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Boston Society of Film Critics. Additional nominations included the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Directors Guild Awards, and the Sundance Film Festival, while also receiving a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary.

PrEP4All

In 2018, Staley co-founded PrEP4All, an initiative dedicated to ending HIV/AIDS through promoting the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Personal life

Staley divides his residence between a rural area in Pennsylvania and a West Village apartment in New York City, close to the location where ACT UP first engaged him.

External links

• AIDSmeds.com
• How to Survive a Plague