Editing ACT UP (section)

===Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center===

In the 1980s, as the gay population of Greenwich Village and New York began succumbing to the AIDS virus, [[Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center]] established the first AIDS Ward on the East Coast and second only to one in San Francisco, and soon became "Ground Zero" for the AIDS-afflicted in NYC.<ref name=boynton>[http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/remembering-st-vincents Boynton, Andrew. "Remembering St. Vincent's," ''The New Yorker'', May 16, 2013]</ref> The hospital "became synonymous" with care for AIDS patients in the 1980s, particularly poor gay men and drug users.<ref name=plague2/> It became one of the best hospitals in the state for AIDS care with a large research facility and dozens of doctors and nurses in its employ.<ref name=plague2/>

ACT UP protested the hospital one night in the 1980s due to its Catholic nature.<ref name=plague2/> They took over the emergency room and covered crucifixes with condoms.<ref name=plague2/> Their intent was both to raise awareness and offend Catholics.<ref name=plague2/> Instead of pressing charges, the sisters who ran the hospital decided to meet with the protesters to better understand their concerns.<ref name=plague2>{{cite podcast |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/12/08/how-catholic-hospital-eventually-became-safe-haven-gay-community |title= The Catholic hospital that pioneered AIDS care |website= Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS & the Catholic Church  |publisher=[[America (magazine)|America]] |host= Michael O'Loughlin |date=December 8, 2019 |access-date= January 10, 2019}}</ref>