Art has been used as a means to express dissatisfaction and protest in and out of the LGBT community. Women artists like Hannah Hoch used art to protest politics and gender roles. Decades later, during the gay liberation movement, artists began to come out and demanded social equality. As the AIDS crisis began, protesting the treatment of LGBT individuals became a matter of life or death.  Keith Haring was an important figure in protesting AIDS.

After being diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, Haring established the Keith Haring Foundation to raise money and provide art to AIDS organizations and children’s programs. Haring dedicated his art and the two last years of his life to creating awareness and fostering understanding about AIDS. In 2008, two of his brightly colored sculptures were added to UNAIDS “Art for AIDS” collection. Haring’s brief but intense career was only the beginning of his growth as a gay icon. His colorful, provocative, and socially-conscious images form an important part of the history of gay symbolism.