{"id":172509,"date":"2026-03-23T19:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/172509\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T19:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:42:08","slug":"act-up-marks-39th-anniversary-with-nyc-die-in-at-palantir-over-trump-administration-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/172509\/","title":{"rendered":"ACT UP marks 39th anniversary with NYC die-in at Palantir over Trump administration contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the middle of a busy New York City<\/a> street, dozens of people lay still atop the pavement on Saturday afternoon. ACT UP<\/a>, one of the world\u2019s most prominent HIV<\/a> advocacy groups, organized the demonstration outside Palantir, a software company that develops surveillance technology and contracts with<\/a> Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ<\/a>+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n

The demonstration was a callback to die-ins staged by AIDS advocacy groups<\/a> from the 1980s onward to celebrate the organization\u2019s 39th anniversary. Hundreds of protesters rallied at the New York City AIDS Memorial, then marched to Palantir\u2019s unmarked office in Manhattan\u2019s Flatiron District, protesting government spending on ICE and the war against Iran amid cuts to funding for HIV care.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration is \u201cspending more money on war than they are on health care. They\u2019re spending more money on ice than they are on AIDS care,\u201d Eric Sawyer, a founder of ACT UP New York who helped organize the protest, told The Advocate. \u201cWe think those priorities are way out of line with American priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: 7 images of ACT UP NY taking to the streets at a queer Palestine rally saying \u2018SILENCE=DEATH\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: 50 powerful photos from ACT UP NY’s pro-Palestine rally at the GLAAD Media awards<\/a><\/p>\n

Under Trump, Congress has sought to slash federal funding<\/a> for HIV care by hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, Trump has increased funding to ICE by tens of billions of dollars<\/a>, and more than $12 billion<\/a> to fight the U.S. war against Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir priorities are war and military spending because that, in turn, generates a lot of profits for the wealthy,\u201d Kate Barnhart, executive director of New Alternatives for LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth, told The Advocate. \u201cMany of our politicians own stock in these weapons profiteers. That\u2019s why today\u2019s march is making the connection between AIDS and health care and Palantir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"`\"<\/p>\n

`<\/p>\n

Mark Hannay, an organizer with ACT UP New York, delivers remark at the New York City AIDS Memorial on March 21, 2026. Jack Walker for The Advocate <\/p>\n

Related: Pro-Palestine protesters march outside GLAAD Media awards: \u2018In honor of our Queer history\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

In the 39 years since ACT UP was founded, Sawyer said elements of HIV activism have gotten harder. With the strength of HIV care today, he said, some believe organizing for HIV care has less \u201curgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the initial founding of ACT UP, there were no treatments available. AIDS was a surefire death sentence,\u201d Sawyer said. \u201cPeople are putting less of their life at risk in doing activism.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is why continuing to organize and protest in person, rather than solely online, still matters, he said.<\/p>\n

Protesters honored Mark Milano, an HIV activist who died in January<\/a> after decades of organizing for people living with HIV. Jennifer Flynn Walker, an organizer with the racial and economic justice organization Popular Democracy, told The Advocate that honoring Milano\u2019s legacy felt urgent.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark Milano really dedicated much of his adult life to making sure that people around the world had access to HIV medications,\u201d Flynn said. \u201cIt was really important to me and Popular Democracy to be able to be here and honor him and his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longtime organizer Ivy Kwan Arce told The Advocate that ACT UP\u2019s ability to set and fight for achievable goals has set it apart from other activist groups. \u201cIt\u2019s not about protesting and saying, \u2018I want this,\u2019 but really over-researching [so] that they have to take your recommendation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, ACT UP organizer Mark Hannay said there will be more advocacy targets to meet. Saturday\u2019s protest was one part of \u201can ongoing effort,\u201d he told The Advocate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have midterm elections coming up this fall. So we want voters to be informed about what\u2019s been happening and connecting the dots,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that, when they go to the polls, they vote for candidates who support health care, support social programs, and oppose war and ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was written as part of the Future of Queer Media fellowship program at The Advocate, which is underwritten by a generous gift from Morrison Media Group<\/a>. The program helps support the next generation of LGBTQ+ journalists.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Advocate: ACT UP marks 39th anniversary with NYC die-in at Palantir over Trump administration contracts<\/a><\/p>\n

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