“Silence = Death” Face Mask, Black

Product Description

Don our iconic, “Silence = Death” with pink triangle design face mask when social distance protesting, while running errands, or while Zooming! Unless your SILENCE EQUALS DEATH face mask comes from ACT UP NY, it’s not official and does not support ACT UP.

100% cotton jersey material in THREE LAYERS. Made in the USA, proudly union made, fair trade, and eco-friendly!

Just like when using a condom, non-N95 masks are for the protection of others. We wear condoms and masks to save other people’s lives. We all want to be protected, and if you happen to be positive, your breath, cough and sneeze droplets are not projected as far into the surrounding atmosphere when wearing a mask like this and THAT is what protects EVERYONE.

What level of protection can these provide YOU? These have not been tested however, because these cover a large area (air should be actually going through the fabric not passing through the sides) and because they are three layers of a quality knit fabric, we feel that these offer a good degree of filtration for those getting minimal and occasional exposure. Prolonged exposure especially in confined, poorly ventilated areas poses a risk to everyone even if they wear a mask. Remember, if you are in close proximity to someone shedding virus, such as a caregiver for a person with Covid-19, you should be wearing an N95 mask under this face mask and potentially a face shield.

When you are done wearing a mask: wash your hands, take off the mask and place it in the laundry, and wash your hands again.

*This item is not returnable. If the fit is too large we recommend machine drying to shrink the fabric. Otherwise, if you like the fit, we recommend air drying.

• Made in USA
• 100% cotton
• Large coverage area and very comfortable
• Re-usable
• Machine or hand-washable; air dry to prevent shrinkage
• 3-ply fabric that is protective yet breathable
• Provides protection from exposure to Covid-19, especially in combination with other safety protocols such as social distancing and frequent, thorough hand-washing
• Fair trade
• Ecologically sourced
• Union made
• Official ACT UP merchandise
• Fulfillment by people with HIV/AIDS longterm survivors, all fairly paid

History: In 1987, six gay activists in New York formed the Silence = Death Project and began plastering posters around the city featuring a pink triangle on a black background stating simply ‘SILENCE = DEATH.’ In its manifesto, the Silence = Death Project drew parallels between the Nazi period and the AIDS crisis, declaring that ‘silence about the oppression and annihilation of gay people, then and now, must be broken as a matter of our survival.’ The slogan thus protested both taboos around discussion of safer sex and the unwillingness of some to resist societal injustice and governmental indifference. The six men who created the project later joined the protest group ACT UP and offered the logo to the group, with which we remain closely identified.

Why buy Official Merchandise from ACT UP NY?

ACT UP’s Mission Triangle is:

• Programs/ACTIONS/Demos (doing what we do)
• Communications/Social Media (keeping people up to date on what we do)
• Fundraising (raising money to pay for what we do)

When you buy official ACT UP, SILENCE = DEATH merchandise you not only support our “Programs, ACTIONS and Demos” and our “Communications and Social Media” efforts, but our “Fundraising” point on the triangle is supported by a an employee-owned, long-term AIDS survivor staffed fulfillment company! What’s more, all goods are union made, in the USA, environmentally, responsibly made—and are not a knockoff or a questionably made, unauthorized imitation!

We fight AIDS! And, we’re not going to stop until AIDS is over for everyone!