Robert Rafsky

Robert Alan Rafsky (July 22, 1945 – February 21, 1993) was an American writer, publicist, and HIV/AIDS activist.

Early life and education Robert Alan Rafsky was born on July 22, 1945, in Philadelphia to civil servant William L. Rafsky of Łódź, Poland and Selma Rafsky née Chafets in Philadelphia. His family was politically active. Lawrence C. Rafsky was his brother. Rafsky graduated Harvard in 1968. Rafsky was a nationally recognized HIV/AIDS activist. His 1992 confrontation with then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton secured much publicity and made HIV/AIDS a presidential campaign issue. Rafsky said, "I can't calm down. I'm dying of AIDS while you're dying of ambition," to which Clinton eventually responded, "I feel your pain." Rafsky also helped draft an AIDS agenda for the Clinton Administration. Additionally, in 1992 Rafsky delivered a speech titled "Bury Me Furiously" at the funeral of fellow ACT UP member Mark Fisher. Within the speech, Rafsky demanded change and publicly denounced the George H. W. Bush administration for their negligence of the AIDS epidemic. The impact of both the confrontation with Bill Clinton and "Bury Me Furiously" led to not only increased national awareness for the epidemic, but priority for policy within the Clinton administration.

Rafsky was an active member of the Treatment Action Group. Peter Staley said that Rafsky was "enormously influential" in one-to-one interactions.