Between 1981 and 1983, the AIDS epidemic devastated San Diego's gay community. The San Diego Democratic Club, a progressive political organization with significant LGBTQ+ membership, witnessed the disease's toll firsthand. Within two years, more than half of the Democratic Club's male leadership had succumbed to the disease, creating an atmosphere of profound grief and urgency.
Despite the tragedy of the AIDS medical crisis, a widespread social stigma followed the disease. Healthcare providers often refused to treat AIDS patients, families rejected their loved ones, and the broader medical establishment was slow to respond. In this environment of abandonment and fear, the San Diego lesbian community emerged as an unexpected source of support and lifeline for their gay male counterparts. They became known as the San Diego Blood Sisters.
Few stories in LGBTQ+ history showcase the power of solidarity and compassion quite like the San Diego Blood Sisters. During one of the darkest periods in modern American history, this group of lesbian women organized to provide life-saving assistance when their gay brothers and AIDS patients were most in need.
The Formation of the Blood Sisters
In 1983, the AIDS crisis deepened when the United States banned blood donations from men who have sex with men to prevent HIV contamination of the blood supply. While this addressed legitimate public health concerns, it created a critical shortage of blood available for transfusions. HIV patients, often anemic due to the virus, needed frequent blood transfusions.
The irony was clear — the very population most in need of blood support was unable to contribute to the blood supply. Gloria Johnson, the first county social worker assigned to AIDS cases and former Blood Sister, recalled losing two or three men a week to the disease: "We had nothing medically to help people then, so what we dealt with was death regularly." This stark reality underscored the desperate need for any form of assistance that could be provided to those fighting the disease.
However, lesbians did not face any blood donation restrictions. This distinction would prove crucial in the formation of the San Diego Blood Sisters, representing both an opportunity and a moral imperative for lesbian women to step forward.
The San Diego Blood Sisters emerged from the Women's Caucus of the San Diego Democratic Club in direct response to the urgent need for blood donations. Founding members Wendy Sue Biegeleisen, Nicolette Ibarra, and Barbara Vick organized the first blood drive on July 16, 1983, at the San Diego Blood Bank in Hillcrest, the heart of the city's gay community.
As Vick later reflected, "There was a powerlessness everybody felt, but the lesbian community seemed immune to the disease. I don't want to say there was guilt, but you look at counterparts bearing this burden for no reason. At that time, women had less to give economically, but blood is such a basic thing." This sentiment encapsulates the complex emotions driving the Blood Sisters' formation — a mixture of survivor's guilt, solidarity, and a desire to contribute meaningfully.
The Blood Sisters’ name was both literal and political. Blood, after all, had become central to the conversation around AIDS — both the danger it represented and the life it could sustain. For the Blood Sisters, donating was an act of radical care.
Organizers had modest expectations for the inaugural drive. However, nearly 200 women showed up, resulting in at least 130 donations. This overwhelming turnout demonstrated the depth of commitment within San Diego's lesbian community.
"Women came out of the woodwork; women that didn't want to have anything to do with men — even gay men," fellow Blood Sister Peggy Heathers recalled. "It was an incredible experience to see the caring and the support." The decision to donate blood transcended personal relationships and political affiliations, representing pure human solidarity in the face of suffering.
Following their inaugural drive's success, the Blood Sisters developed a structured approach. They organized regular blood drives and established an account where people could apply for blood donations. This system ensured that donations were properly processed and allocated to AIDS patients, providing crucial medical resources during a time when many healthcare institutions were reluctant to serve them.
Between 1983 and 1992, the Blood Sisters hosted 12 blood drives, demonstrating sustained commitment for nearly a decade. This consistency was crucial, as the AIDS crisis required an ongoing community response rather than short-term emergency aid.
While blood drives were the most visible aspect of their work, the Blood Sisters served San Diego’s community in other ways. Beyond organizing blood drives, many lesbians also volunteered in hospitals and clinics and worked to raise money to combat the epidemic. Lesbians also quietly stepped up helping with grief counseling, patient advocacy, and bedside vigils for the dying when few others would.
This comprehensive approach addressed not only medical needs but also the emotional and social needs of AIDS patients. During a time when many patients were rejected by families and faced healthcare discrimination, lesbian volunteers provided crucial human connection and dignity.
The Blood Sisters further countered injustice by directly confronting institutional homophobia and political neglect of marginalized AIDS sufferers, helping bring attention to inadequate government response and patient discrimination.
Recognition and Resistance
In spring 1984, the Blood Sisters received an award from the National LGBTQ+ Task Force, recognizing their crucial contribution to AIDS care and community support. This recognition validated their efforts and brought national attention to their innovative model.
However, the recognition prompted backlash from conservative groups who demanded that Edward Brandt, the United States Assistant Secretary of Health, be dismissed if he attended the award ceremony.
The challenges extended beyond political opposition to practical obstacles. On December 27, 1984, a Blood Sisters-organized drive scheduled for December 30 was cancelled due to anticipated public backlash. Dr. Benjamin Spindler, the medical director for the Orange County Red Cross chapter, cancelled the drive after learning of it in a newspaper and receiving complaints. The Red Cross worried that if a blood drive were held at a gay community center, the public might believe donations were being accepted from gay men.
Despite the opposition, the San Diego Blood Sisters continued to operate for about four more years before their organized efforts significantly decreased. Some generally attribute the organization's decline to President Ronald Reagan's eventual intervention in the AIDS crisis. As government response improved and medical treatments became more available, the urgent need for grassroots blood drives diminished.
Increased advocacy for AIDS patients also reduced the perceived need for the Blood Sisters' drives. Ironically, the success of AIDS advocacy more broadly — including the Blood Sisters' efforts — helped create conditions that made their specific activism less necessary.
Around the time President Reagan first used the term "AIDS" in public — nearly four years after the AIDS crisis began — the Blood Sisters gradually disbanded. This timeline underscores the slow pace of official government response and suggests the Blood Sisters filled a crucial gap during the period of governmental neglect. The Blood Sisters was officially dissolved in 1993, but lesbian resistance to homophobic institutions continued.
For example, in 1996, Delores Jacobs, then director of the San Diego LGBT Community Center, published an opinion piece advocating for all LGBT community members to refuse to participate in blood donation until the San Diego Blood Bank stopped enforcing the FDA's ban on donations by men who have sex with men. This shifted local lesbian activism from organizing group blood drives to direct protest against discriminatory policies.
The Blood Sisters’ Impact and Legacy
The San Diego Blood Sisters' success inspired similar organizations across the United States. Their model demonstrated the power of grassroots organizing and local initiatives, inspiring national movements.
But the San Diego Blood Sisters represent more than community solidarity during a health crisis. They demonstrate the power of marginalized communities who support one another across lines of gender, sexuality, and political difference. The willingness of lesbian women to provide extensive support to gay men challenged stereotypes about divisions within LGBTQ+ communities and showed how shared oppression can create bonds of mutual aid.
As we remember the Blood Sisters, we honor not only their specific contributions to AIDS care but their broader lesson about the power of solidarity in the face of adversity. Their legacy challenges us to consider how we can support the most vulnerable members of our communities and reminds us that even in the darkest times, ordinary people can choose to be heroes through acts of extraordinary kindness and courage.
This article was produced with Made By Us, a coalition of more than 200 history museums working to connect with today's youth.
