Tony Bonifant (1952 - January 12, 1995)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Bruce E. ("Tony") Bonifant (ca. 1952, Washington, DC - January 12, 1995, Washington, DC) was a Singer/Songwriter, Hairdresser, and AIDS Activist. He graduated from University of Texas in 1985.

Bruce "Tony" Bonifant grew up in Washington, DC and studied at the University of Texas on a scholarship, graduating in 1985. He lived in California from 1986 to 1988, and there performed his original songs in clubs and other venues.

Due to health reasons, he returned to Washington where he had worked as a hair stylist at Hair Inc. and Flashback.

Bonifant was a fundraiser for the Whitman Walker Clinic, and participated in a Georgetown Family Center study on the signficance of relationships in managing AIDS for long-term survivors. He also founded a support group for long-term AIDS patients.

Bruce Bonifant died of AIDS in Washington, DC at the age of 43 on January 12, 1995.

Source: www.artistswithaids.org/artforms/music/catalogue/bonifant.html

Further Readings:

Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality by Patrick Moore
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Beacon Press (January 14, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 080707957X
ISBN-13: 978-0807079577
Amazon: Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality

The radical sexuality of gay American men in the 1970s is often seen as a shameful period of excess that led to the AIDS crisis. Beyond Shame claims that when the gay community divorced itself from this allegedly tainted legacy, the tragic result was an intergenerational disconnect because the original participants were unable to pass on a sense of pride and identity to younger generations. Indeed, one reason for the current rise in HIV, Moore argues, is precisely due to this destructive occurrence, which increased the willingness of younger gay men to engage in unsafe sex.

Lifting the'veil of AIDS,' Moore recasts the gay male sexual culture of the 1970s as both groundbreaking and creative-provocatively comparing extreme sex to art. He presents a powerful yet nuanced snapshot of a maligned, forgotten era. Moore rescues gay America's past, present, and future from a disturbing spiral of destruction and AIDS-related shame, illustrating why it's critical for the gay community to reclaim the decade.

More LGBT History at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Gay Classics