Portal:Viruses/Selected biography/6

Ryan Wayne White (6 December 1971 – 8 April 1990) was an HIV-positive American teenager who became a national spokesman for AIDS research and public education about HIV/AIDS, after being expelled from school because of his infection.

White, a haemophiliac, was diagnosed in 1984 after infection by a contaminated blood treatment. HIV/AIDS was then poorly understood, and his return to school in Kokomo, Indiana was prevented by protesters; the ensuing legal battle gained national media coverage. Before his case, AIDS was widely associated with the male gay community; White was one of several who helped to shift that perception.

White died in 1990, one month before his high school graduation. Shortly afterwards, the U.S. Congress passed a major piece of AIDS legislation, the Ryan White Care Act. Ryan White Programs remain the largest provider of services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.