World AIDS Day: Pop culture milestones in AIDS awareness

Milestone: 1980s poster boy for the AIDS crisis

Indiana teen Ryan White became a household name in 1984 when his HIV status got him kicked out of school. White, a hemophiliac who was infected during a blood transfusion, and his family worked tirelessly to fight the stigmas and stereotypes surrounding AIDS patients. White eventually became a poster boy for the crisis, appearing in educational campaigns and fundraisers with stars such as Elton John and Michael Jackson. A regular on “The Phil Donahue Show,” he even had a cameo in his own TV movie, “The Ryan White Story” (Lukas Haas played White in the film).

White passed away in 1990 at just 18, and shortly after, Congress enacted the Ryan White CARE Act. The legislation, still active today, subsidizes treatment for low-income and uninsured patients.  (Michael Conroy / AP)