Metropolitan Community Church pastor Steve Pieters has been living with AIDS since 1982. On multiple occasions, he was written off, expected to die within months; but he has survived to this day. Steve was a participant in the infamous suramin drug trial that ended up killing more people than it helped. Perhaps most famously, Steve was interviewed by renowned televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker on national TV in what is widely considered the first media event to depict a person with AIDS as a human being worthy of love and respect. That pivotal interview was recreated in the feature film The Eyes of Tammy Faye starring Jessica Chastain, and is now depicted in an Elton John-composed musical entitled Tammy Faye, soon to be seen on Broadway!
Watch Steve’s full interview here
Preserve stories like Steve’s:
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LifeCyle Rider: Steve Alexander
“As a gay man living with AIDS since the 80s, Steve Pieters is the definition of resilience. By openly talking about his struggles, he upended misconceptions, lessened fear, and helped people find compassion. Steve’s legacy is his unwavering efforts to remove the stigma of living with AIDS. It’s overwhelming to consider the number of forgotten or unheard stories of our queer past. That’s why I ride—I refuse to let our history slip away further.”
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Steve is part of #TeamOUTWORDS. Each cyclist on Team OUTWORDS is riding in honor of an OUTWORDS interviewee who has brought courage and vision to the battle to #endAIDS.
