Ryan White

Ryan Wayne White (December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990) was an American boy with hemophilia who contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion in 1984, at age 13. When his condition became public, he faced severe discrimination, including expulsion from school and social ostracism in his small Indiana community. Rather than retreating into silence, Ryan and his mother Jeanne White fought back against prejudice and misinformation about AIDS transmission. He became a powerful advocate for AIDS awareness and education, speaking publicly about his experience despite his young age and illness. Ryan testified before Congress, appeared on national television including The Oprah Winfrey Show, and became a symbol of innocence victimized by both disease and social hatred. His dignified demeanor and articulate advocacy helped shift public perception about AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS. Ryan died of complications from AIDS on April 8, 1990, at age 18. His legacy lived on through the Ryan White CARE Act, major federal legislation passed shortly after his death that remains the largest federally funded program for HIV/AIDS care in the United States. His life and activism helped humanize the AIDS crisis during its most stigmatized period.