SPECTRUM NEWS VIDEO: While the city of Albany is known for welcoming the LGBTQ+ community, it wasn’t always the case. 

In the ’80s and ‘90s, a small group of committed activists, people willing to be “out” while the AIDS pandemic raged, laid the groundwork for an overhaul of the city council, and passage of a critical human rights ordinance. These gay rights activists, in partnership with African American activists and the Arbor Hill Democrats, helped move Albany into the 21st century.

Susan Arbetter reports on this critical time in the city’s history.