How "Angels In America" is a Testament to the History of AIDS and also an Example of Hope, by Maddy Tyma

Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” pushes the envelope in many ways. It was one of the first plays about the AIDS epidemic in the first place. Kushner’s message with this play aligns with queer theory because he dives into the realm of outside the mainstream. Even just having a play about AIDS could be considered queer and not just because AIDS was considered a disease aligned with being gay before many knew the details about how AIDS was spread. Kushner talks openly about sexuality and gender like most plays probably don’t. Not only does he talk about sexuality but he queers sexuality itself. He challenges our ideas about even queer people by including the angel. Because the angel has a wide array of genitalia he almost challenges the reader to abandon their judgements connected to sexual orientation and simply pay attention to the human feelings and emotions in those parts of the play. With the angel he also blends sexuality and religion together which is queering those concepts as well. In many religions we don’t talk about sexuality and Kushner dares to do so. He connects the two forcing some deep thought on the relationship between sexuality and religion. The whole play is venturing into unexplored space or outside the norm which is queering in and of itself. He uses this to teach us about AIDS and how it affected people deeply but he also teaches us about human emotion, love and more.

            
There are many examples of justice within this play. One of the best examples is how Belize interacts with Roy. Roy, who is grounded in negativity and prejudice towards Belize is still shown kindness and acceptance by him (Page 223). He tries to give him some kind thoughts and words after death, maybe because he had to die alone or maybe Belize just understands that’s what he should do (Page 267). Another way justice plays a role in this play is bridging the gap between those who ordinarily would be very different. One might think of a Mormon housewife and a gay man with AIDS as in very different spheres. Kushner puts them together for a reason. I think he wants to bridge that gap between those who might never meet to create tolerance and highlight the love that is possible between humans who think very differently. This to  me is a really simple but powerful example of justice. Kushner has created a feeling of understanding that we need deeply in this country. I believe he wants us to think about that throughout the play. The interaction between Roy and Belize is another good example of this, just the fact that Belize shows Roy kindness even though they seem to think differently about almost everything gives the viewer hope to maybe show someone else the same kindness. Belize himself also represents justice because of his confidence in himself and the way he carries himself. In an article with the New Yorker, Hilton Als reflects on the fact that he felt that he wasn’t sure if a gay man of color like Belize would be out as comfortably as he is (The New Yorker). I think the fact that Belize is himself unapologetically represents justice. The play does bring attention to this with examples of racism or Belize saying white people are his biggest problem (Page 227).

        
Although the play represents more than AIDS, it teaches us tremendously about the epidemic. Kushner uses many different lenses to show the impact of the disease. Prior is a more direct example with him being very sick and his illness is described in detail (Page 49, 236). He uses Louis to show how it might have affected loved ones of those with AIDS and how hard it might have been to commit or the guilt associated with being the one who did not become ill (Page 53). Belize is a good example of people who understood it from early on. He is not afraid to care for those with the disease and he is fully immersed in helping them (186). Roy’s character is a little different. He seems to exemplify those who suffered quietly for fear of coming out. He also sheds light on those who were forced to come out because they were visibly sick even if he doesn’t quite have to do so fully (Page 111). Using all these characters as lenses to examine the epidemic allows the play to serve\ as a historical archive about how deeply AIDS touched the queer community.  Kushner himself says he has been surprised how it teaches younger audiences this to this day (TonyKushner). Hilton Al played with the idea that Roy’s world is like a parallel to Trump’s sphere today. It can be relevant to queer individuals living in Trumps America and exemplify triumph using human connection (The New Yorker). Alyssa Rosenberg with the Washington Post also brings this up. She uses Belize’s justice towards Roy as an example of how we should treat those who are on the other side of the political divide from us with tolerance and how that might repair our broken system (Washington Post). “Angels of America” is an example of the struggle and impact of AIDS but also has served as a hope both for earlier generations who were directly affected by the disease and also those who are first learning of it and how to grapple with pain, loss and political divide in our country especially when it comes to queer people.