Two experiences deeply impacted my life when I lived in New York City: it was 9/11 and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I began my AIDS photography work in 1988 during the hysteria of the AIDS crisis. I can vividly remember sitting in my upper westside apartment one spring evening in 1981 and reading an article that appeared in a New York Native. Its bold headline was “RARE CANCER SEEN IN 41 HOMOSEXUALS” –later coined "Gay Cancer.” From the 1980s to the 2000s, I lost many of my closest friends, whom I considered “family” and partners, to “gay cancer.” I assisted my business partner in maneuvering his health care in an era when the medical community was fearful, unsympathetic, and discriminatory toward anyone infected with HIV. I witnessed the first-hand struggles and stigma against the people I loved and towards the LGBTQ community. I became numb and afraid; the camera allowed me to express my sadness, grief, and anger at the bigotry and hate that HIV/AIDS caused.
 

When the media started to cover children infected with HIV/AIDS either through blood transfusions or being born with HIV/AIDS, I was reminded of my early 20s when I was an elementary school teacher. I had known Steven Lofton when I lived in Southern California and when a mutual friend said he had become a nurse and was caring for infants born with HIV/AIDS, I called him and asked if I could do a photo essay on him and his children. He agreed, and I flew to Miami to photograph him, his partner Roger, and their newly created family.
 

Over 30 years have passed, and the story of this American family’s odyssey is remarkable. I desire to publish An American Family: An AIDS Legacy (1988-2022), which will include material from Ginger’s Book: An AIDS Primer and up-to-date photographs.
 

I hope that the publication of the book will be a historical reminder. The photographs represent a legacy of how two gay men created a family during the AIDS epidemic. The photographs show their humanity for the children they raised.  Their love proved stronger and more enduring than the homophobic laws they challenged in the courts.