ACTIVISTS, DENNIS O'DELL MAYO.

DIDN'T JUST OPEN DOORS AT CITY HALL.

HE WAS ALSO A POLITICAL CARTOONIST AND AN ORGANIZER WHO USE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE TO WAGE WAR ON CITY OFFICIALS MARGINALIZING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.

SOTOMAYOR WAS OUTRAGE WHEN THEY WERE TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THE AIDS EPIDEMIC.

MEANWHILE, HE WAS FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE WITH THE DISEASE HIMSELF.

SO THE STORY IS FEATURED IN THE LATEST EDITION OF THE W T TW SERIES.

CHICAGO STORIES AIRING TOMORROW NIGHT.

HERE'S A PREVIEW.

>> WHEN HE WAS JUST 29 YEARS OLD, DANNY WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AIDS.

YOU FIND HUGE TREE NOW HONESTLY DID NOT HAVE A POLITICAL BONE IN HIS BODY.

>> IT WAS THAT HAD TURNED HIM INTO AN AT THE TIME.

>> A PERSON LIVING WITH AIDS FACED TERRIFYING FUTURE.

WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE PATIENTS, BUT JUST TRY TO SUPPORT THEM IN A TIGHT QUICKLY.

FUNERAL HOMES WORTH GROUP USING SERVICE.

DENNIS WERE REFUSING SERVICE.

THERE WAS NO SUPPORT.

THERE WAS NO EMPATHY.

THERE WAS NOTHING.

>> JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ON THIS DOCUMENTARY IN PRESENT-DAY RESEARCH OR DAVID AND OR NOT, PRESIDENT AND CEO HOWARD BROWN HEALTH WTW PRODUCER DAN ENTRIES.

I THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING NOW.

I WATCHED THE DOCUMENTARY IT WAS IMPACTFUL.

IT WAS EMOTIONAL.

DAN WOULD INSPIRE.

YOU TELL DENNIS LET THE MINERS LEGACY.

>> I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT THE NE IN 2008 CO PRODUCING A DOCUMENTARY AND WTW CALLED OUT AND PROUD OF CHICAGO AND HIS STORY JUST GALVANIZED ME.

I WAS JUST I WAS TOTALLY MESMERIZED BY THIS GUY.

NEVER MET.

NEVER HEARD OF WHO CLIMBED UP ON THE OVERHANG IS COUNTY BUILDING TO BRING ATTENTION DAYS WHO YELLED MAYOR DALEY AND PUBLIC PRESS CONFERENCES.

I WAS LIKE, WHO IS THIS AMAZING MAN?

AND HE WAS ESSENTIALLY.

HE'S MY AGE RIGHT?

SO HE WAS A CONTEMPORARY.

I NEVER AND I WAS JUST AND I'D TO STORY.

I THOUGHT THIS IS A MOVIE.

SO I'VE BEEN ALWAYS WANTING TO FIND A WAY FOR IT TO BE KIND OF SCREEN.

AND WE FINALLY GOT TO MAKE A DOCUMENTARY HERE 11.

>> AND WITH SOMETHING YOU LEARNED ABOUT HIM THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE STARTED INTERVIEWING HIS FAMILY AND YOU GOT A CHANCE HIS BROTHER.

HE WAS VERY EMOTIONAL DURING THE DOCUMENTARY.

>> YEAH, I WOULD SAY IT WAS DEEPENING OF HUMANITY.

HIS SENSE OF HUMOR, HIS VULNERABILITY, HIS DOUBT.

YOU KNOW, HE'S I SAW THE FEAR SKY AND THE DEBT.

THE MORE I DUG YOU KNOW, MORE TENDER HUMAN BEING AND THE LOVER AND, YOU EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT HIM THAT I THINK IS DOCUMENT.

IT'S CERTAINLY SO MANY DIFFERENT QUALITIES.

YEAH.

AND DAVID.

>> WHAT KIND OF PATTED AT THE MAYO TO PAY FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY.

>> WHAT ARE YOU?

HE WAS IN A REALLY TRANSFORMATIONAL MOMENT FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY AND ORGANIZING AND FIGHTING BACK AND BRING VISIBILITY AND POLITICAL INFLECTION POLITICAL POWER.

AND IT'S IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE NOW WITH ALL THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE IN HIV.

BUT IN THAT MOMENT, LIVING WITH WAS INCREDIBLY SCARY.

MOST PEOPLE HAD BY THE TIME THEY WERE DIAGNOSED ARE PROBABLY ALREADY ADVANCED AIDS AND HAD AND SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, 12 TO 18 MONTHS TO LIVE.

AND AND AND THERE ARE SUCH INCREDIBLE STATEMENT.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK DANNY, LIKE MANY PEOPLE MADE THE DECISION THAT THEY'RE INTO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO FIGHT FOR THEMSELVES FOR THEIR COMMUNITY AND AND REALLY FIGHT FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH STIGMA AGAINST A DISEASE THAT WAS ASKED HOMOPHOBIA ANY RELIEF FUND FOR EDUCATION, CORRECT PEOPLE.

ABSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK HE HE ALSO DEMONSTRATE THAT HE CARES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

I MEAN, A LOT OF HIS POLITICAL CARTOONS WERE ABOUT THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION ABOUT CITY HALL AND ABOUT IN EQUITIES THAT HE SAW THERE WERE NOT GETTING ENOUGH LIGHT.

HE'S ALSO TRYING TO RADICALIZE AND AND GET THE LGBT COMMUNITY MOBILIZED POLITICALLY AND MANAGED TO DO THAT AND TALKING ABOUT TREATMENT.

THERE'S STILL NO CURE FOR HIV.

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE BEST INVESTMENTS IN SINCE THE 1980'S?

0, MY GOD.

WE'VE MADE SUCH INCREDIBLE PROGRESS.

>> THANKS TO YOU KNOW, THE NIH AND SCIENTISTS.

SO NOW THERE'S REALLY EFFECTIVE ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENTS FOR PERSON HAS ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND SOMEBODY WHO RECEIVES A HERE'S TO THE TREATMENT BECAUSE OF THE NORMAL LIFE SPAN.

SO IT'S REALLY CHANGED THE GAME.

BUT I THINK THE CHALLENGES ARE THE ONES I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN IT.

HEAR TO THE TREATMENTS LOSE A LOT OF PEOPLE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING SOCIETY LIKE POVERTY AND DEPRESSION AND SUBSTANCE USE AND SHAME.

I MEAN, WE STILL SEE A LOT OF ANTI HIV STIGMA.

YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO LIVE.

>> DAN, I WANT TO GO TO YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE DOCUMENTARY EXPLAINS HOW HE WAS NOT ONLY OPENLY 8 ACTIVISTS, BUT HE WAS ALSO A POLITICAL CARTOONIST.

TELL ME ABOUT THE IMPACT HIS CARTOONS HAD.

>> DANNY'S CARTOONS ARE AMAZING.

THEY'RE ONE MOSTLY ONE PANEL.

THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, GRAPHICALLY COMPELLING.

THEY MAKE A QUICK STATEMENT.

THEY'RE FULL OF WIT.

THEY'RE BITING.

THEY'RE SMART.

THEY GO AFTER THAT TARGET REAL.

AND SOMETIMES THEY OFFER SYMPATHY BEAUTIFULLY.

THERE'S A NUMBER OF ONES THAT ACTS OF MOURNING FOR PEOPLE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE THING ABOUT 10 E DANNY DIDN'T FOR A PUBLICATION.

HE CROSSED THE LINE.

HE GOT FIRED ANOTHER PUBLICATION.

HE CROSSED THE LINE, GOT FIRED.

HE WENT TO ANOTHER PUBLICATION.

THE LAST PLACE HE WENT WAS TO TRACY BEY THE WINDY CITY TIMES AND SAID, I'M EVER GOING TO FIND YOU.

SO DO WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT.

YOU KNOW WHAT WILL GIVE YOU A HOME HERE?

SO HE WAS, YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T.

DIDN'T USE THE BOUNDARIES OF HIS BOSSES TO DETERMINE WHAT HE WAS GOING TO SAY.

LOOK, HE WAS A FIGHTER.

OH, MY GOD.

YEAH, THEY'RE GREAT.

THEY'RE GREAT.

AND IT'S IT'S HE WAS THE FIRST OPENLY POLITICAL CARTOONISTS AND HIS WORK WAS NATIONAL.

IT WAS IN NEW YORK.

IT WAS FRANCISCO AND I THINK HE DESERVES GREATER RECOGNITION FOR IT.

I THINK HE DESERVES, YOU KNOW, ATTENTION IS THE BIG BOYS.

YEAH.

AND THEN I HOW WOULD YOU HOPE THAT PEOPLE WOULD YOU HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL TAKE AWAY?

>> FROM DANNY SOTTILE, MY OLD WHEN YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LEARN FROM HIM, INSPIRATION.

I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW.

DANNY COULD INSPIRE A 4TH GRADER.

YOU KNOW, TO UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE AND THEIR POWER, THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL POWER SOCIETY, BE ABLE TO STEP UP AND DO SOMETHING.

>> YOU KNOW, DANNY WAS SPECIALLY WASN'T SPECIAL AS YOU'RE GETTING THE MOTION I'M GETTING EMOTIONAL, EMOTION, BECAUSE I I JUST FIND THE GUY TO BE INCREDIBLY INSPIRATIONAL.

AND I DO BELIEVE IT'S A BIGGER THING THAN JUST WELL AS HIS INSPIRATION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CLEAR SITUATION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK KNOW.

SPECIAL.

IS SPENT INSPIRATIONAL PUBLIC PERSON TO PERSON YET.

WHO CAN TELL YOU HOW TO BE A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY, A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.

>> ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE LAST A ABOUT DENNIS AT THE MAYO OR WHAT SOMETHING THAT YOU TAKE AWAY FROM HIS SPIRIT?

WERE I'M ALSO I THINK IN SO THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS EXTRAORDINARY AND OR DAYS REALLY TOUCHES ME BECAUSE HE HE WANTED TO JUST LIVE.

YOU KNOW, HE JUST WANTED TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET OLDER TO HAVE A FULL LIFE.

AND HE WAS AN EXAMPLE.

I MEAN, IN THAT AGE, SOMEONE OPENLY LIVING WITH HIV WAS SO RARE.

IT IS TODAY OVERSEE FIRST TIME HIV FOR FOR US.

WE'RE WITH HIV IS SOMEONE WE WANT TO REMEMBER.

AND WE TALKING ABOUT TODAY BEING, YOU KNOW, DAVID RECOGNIZING HIS MEMORY THROUGH THIS.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THAT'S ALL WE HAVE TONIGHT.

BUT THANK YOU BOTH OF YOU FOR