One of the most prominent forms of HIV/AIDS activism has been the creation of and public showings of the AIDS Memorial Quilt . Conceived in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones during a candlelight march held in remembrance of the 1978 assassinations of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone , the idea came about after Jones requested people write the names of loved ones who died due to AIDS-related causes on signs . Those got taped to the old San Francisco Federal Building . The scene at the side of the building looked like an enormous patchwork quilt to Jones , and he felt inspired to try and make the concept into a reality . The quilt represented an inflection point within Jones ' own life , the openly gay man have suffered from internalized homophobia and thoughts of suicide in his earlier years . The first public display of the project was at San Francisco City Hall in 1987
1978 assassinations
Moscone–Milk assassinations
HIV/AIDS activism