In 1987, the Ronald Reagan administration faced criticism from AIDS activists for its mismanagement of the AIDS crisis. Chanting "Test drugs, not people" and "Educate, don't isolate", activist groups took to the streets of New York City to denounce mandatory testing as a discriminatory practice and to demand more HIV/AIDS research and educational initiatives. Shot by the Testing the Limits Collective, this video is an informative record of the early struggles against the federal government's inaction over the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

TESTING THE LIMITS was a collective of Lesbians, Gays and straights formed to document emerging forms of activism that were arising out of people's responses to government inaction regarding the global epidemic of AIDS. Members included Gregg Bordowitz, Jean Carlomusto, Sandra Engear, Robyn Hutt, Hilery Joy Kipnis and David Meieran.