Gert's Boys: Interdisciplinary Research at the Intersection of AIDS History, Activism, and Collective Memory

This workshop presents a cross-disciplinary, justice-oriented approach to examining the intersection of caregiving and activism during the first fourteen years of the San Francisco AIDS crisis (1981-1995) using the story of Cindy "Gert" McMullin as a focal case study. Gert, a founding member of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, became an unintentional yet vital caregiver within the LGBTQ+ community offering physical, emotional, and financial support amid widespread loss and systemic neglect. Her story illustrates how grassroots caregiving and organizing during times of crisis can evolve into enduring forms of advocacy, community healing, and social transformation. The workshop begins with a screening of Gerts Boys, a 20-minute ethnographic film by the workshop organizer. The film distills nine months of fieldwork, over 30 hours of interviews, and extensive archival research into an intimate portrait of Gert's caregiving and advocacy in the San Francisco Castro District during the height of the AIDS epidemic. This visual narrative serves as a springboard for broader conversation about methodology, ethics, and the use of interdisciplinary storytelling in social work research and education.

Following the screening, presenters will discuss the collaborative, multi-method research process behind the film. This includes immersive participant observation at the AIDS Memorial Quilt warehouse, life-history interviews, and curation of personal and institutional archives ranging from photographs and textiles to public documents and private letters. The workshop will explore how these diverse data sources were ethically and creatively synthesized into public-facing, pedagogically rich media while maintaining academic integrity and emotional authenticity.

Participants will gain practical tools for incorporating archival material, visual storytelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration into their own teaching or research. Special emphasis will be placed on the often-overlooked informal caregivers like Gert in shaping public health responses, and on how grassroots activist efforts like the AIDS Memorial Quilt have influenced memory politics, health advocacy, and policy discourse. This workshop equips attendees with skills in qualitative data integration, narrative construction, and creative dissemination. It offers a model for engaging students and communities through historically grounded, justice-centered inquiry. Presenters will share approaches for translating complex fieldwork into accessible educational content that resonates emotionally and intellectually.

Participants will leave with tangible tools and resources including curriculum ideas, sample assignments, and adaptable research techniques for incorporating these methods into classroom settings, scholarship, or community-based projects. Through this workshop, attendees will deepen their understanding of how storytelling, memory, and care can serve as powerful agents of social change in both past and present contexts.