For People, Not for Profit

Book excerpt: Thomas Martorellis For People, Not for Profit tells the story of Fenway Healths growth from a small, volunteer-run walk-in clinic to an international leader into an international leader in care and research for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and people living with HIV/AIDS. It is also the story of the tremendous societal changes that drove and affected that growth. The community activism and volunteer collectives of the 1970s; the devastation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic which emerged in the 1980s; the LGBT civil rights movement that gained strength and momentum through the 1990s; and the advances in research and advocacy that have brought so many health care and civil rights victories in the 2000s its all there. At the same time, Martorelli tells us Fenways story through the voices of the people who were and are still a part of this incredible organization from the early ups and downs through Fenways growth into one of the largest LGBT health organizations in the world.