Rev. Dr. A. Steve Pieters was an influential HIV/AIDS activist whose interview with Tammy Faye Bakker (1942– 2007) in 1985 helped begin to shift public opinion on the outbreak and how to confront it.
- Died: July 8, 2023 (Who else died on July 8?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles of an infection at the age of 70.
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Rev. Steve Pieters’s legacy
Born in Andover, Massachusetts, Pieters turned his attention to the ministry at the age of 24, graduating from McCormick Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity Degree in 1979. He soon became pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford, Connecticut, where he preached the gospel.
His life would take a dramatic turn in 1982, when he was diagnosed with AIDS-related complex, and then again in 1984, when he was diagnosed with AIDS/Kaposi’s Sarcoma and stage four lymphoma. His doctors expected that he would not live through another year. Pieters decided to use his remaining time to help educate the public about what it meant to be a gay man and the AIDS epidemic. He was interviewed by Bakker the following year on “Tammy’s House Party,” which reached millions of evangelical households. Though attitudes about HIV/AIDS would still take years to change, Pieters’ interview helped pave the way for that shift. The moment was dramatized in the 2021 film, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” for which Jessica Chastain won an Oscar.
In 1985, Pieters underwent an early antiviral treatment for HIV. His cancer went into remission, and he was able to return to an active life. He spent the rest of his life continuing to speak about HIV/AIDS and gay issues, interacting with elected officials to promote understanding and education, and generally becoming one of the faces of the movement. His memoir, “LOVE is Greater Than AIDS: A Memoir of Survival, Healing, and Hope,” is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2024 by Rowman & Littlefield.
Notable quote
“It’s not a matter of what your parents do in their bedroom as to how you turn out.”—interview with Bakker
Tributes to Rev. Steve Pieters
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
