Walton Hadamovsky

Newson utilizes the character Walton Hadamovsky as a symbol for the dehumanization of the LGBTQ community in the 1980s. When Walton dies from AIDS related complications, Peter devises a plan to ensure that his family gives him a funeral. They remove his body from the hospice and place him in the park before calling in his death as an overdose. The fact that his family finds addiction less shameful than heterosexuality highlights the manner in which queer individuals were ostracized and condemned in recent American history. In order to receive dignity in death, Walton’s sexuality had to be hidden.

Angie's Hospice

Angies’s hospices serves as a symbol for the contributions lesbians made to the fight against AIDS in the 1980s. During a period when the Unites States government would not address the pandemic and pop culture spurned the LGBTQ community, queer women helped...