Wilson, Hank

Biography

Hank Wilson is a longtime San Francisco gay activist and long term AIDS survivor. He was raised in Sacramento and graduated with a B.A. in Education from the University of Wisconsin in 1971. He co-founded with Tom Ammiano the Gay Teachers Coalition (GTC) in 1975 and lobbied for non discrimination for gay teachers in the San Francisco schools. A leader in the 1977 anti-Briggs Initiative campaign, Wilson has worked extensively with gay issues in the San Francisco Unified School District. He served on the Gay Youth Advocacy Council which founded LYRIC, Lavendar Youth Recreation and Information Center. He also served on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission's Youth and Education Committee and also launched with Ammiano a gay speakers bureau to educate San Francisco high school and middle school students about gay and lesbian issues. In 1976 he helped found the Butterfly Brigade, Castro Street Safety Patrol and Carry a Whistle Defense Campaign.

In 1978, he started a business partnership with fellow activist Ron Lanza, which led to leasing four Tenderloin Hotels. He operated the Ambassador Hotel through 1996 and it became a model of harm reduction services housing PWAs. In 1982, Lanza and Wilson created the Valencia Rose Caberet, an influential gay performance venue. With Glenda Hope and Dennis Conkin he founded Tenderloin AIDS Network that led to the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center. Wilson managed the TARC drop-in center providing support to the homeless and PWAs. He was diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in 1987. He continued his activism in AIDS and participating in many demonstrations.

In 1981 he founded the Committee to Monitor Poppers to educate the gay community about the hazards of using poppers. In 1986 Wilson co-authored a book with John Lauritsen entitled “Death Rush: Poppers and AIDS.” He also served several terms on the SF HIV Prevention Planning Council and the UCSF CAPS Community Advisory Board.

From the guide to the Hank Wilson Papers, 1972-2004, (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society)