Courtney Gordon and her son Keith. Tennis champion Arthur Ashe. Jerry Smith, a player for the Washington Redskins. Rock star Freddie Mercury. These and thousands of other real people are pieces of the quilt.
Some names are famous, permanent fixtures in our memories.
Some names belong to ordinary men and women, just like your next-door neighbor or your calculus professor. Rich or poor, gay or straight, man or woman, one common thread ties all these people together. AIDS killed them. Once upon a time, someone called them son, daughter, father, mother, husband, wife, and ultimately, friend.