Out of the Closet opened its doors as a thrift store raising funds and awareness around HIV/AIDS in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, on October 1, 1990, during the height of the AIDS crisis. Now expanded to nearly 25 locations across nine states, in just a few days, OTC will mark its 35th anniversary and over three decades of increasing access to HIV/AIDS testing and #ThirftHauls.
While the first store opening in 1990 came at a turning point in the AIDS crisis, the time also marked a turning point in AHF’s advocacy when the name AIDS Hospice Foundation was changed to AIDS Healthcare Foundation as care options improved, and mutual aid and community building were ramped up as protests and high-level battles fighting for policy change continued.
OTC’s establishment reflected this expansion, and all store sales benefited the Chris Browlie Hospice (both AHF and LA’s first AIDS hospice) which garnered a swell of support from within and beyond the AIDS care community, resulting in an onslaught of calls from Los Angeles locals offering donations to stock the store.
The Atwater location specifically symbolized a full-circle moment because four years before, AHF protesters marched outside of politician Lyndon LaRouche’s Atwater headquarters to fight back against his Proposition 64 ballot measure that would incite fear, hostility, and misinformation around HIV/AIDS.
Today, OTC stores remain a positive force for grassroots advocacy, an actionable, achievable way for almost everyone to make a difference, and have grown into spaces for HIV testing that provide access to healthcare without stigma. On the 35th anniversary, we reflect on OTC’s mission and encourage you to get out, get loud, and be proud of the work and care we put in at AHF!
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