David Kirby

Who is David Kirby?

David Lawrence Kirby was an HIV/AIDS activist, and the subject of a photograph taken at his deathbed by Therese Frare. The image was published in Life magazine, which called it the "picture that changed the face of AIDS".

The image shows Kirby, near death, a vacant look in his face, and his father holding his son's head in a moment of grief. Other members of Kirby's immediate family are seated next to him. Life featured the image in its November 1990 issue, after which it gained first national and then international attention. The picture was later used by Benetton in an advertising campaign, with the permission of Kirby's family, who felt that its use would carry the message of how devastating the disease was.