For more than three decades, Raising Generation HIV has documented the extraordinary story of Steven Lofton and Roger Croteau, two gay pediatric nurses who opened their hearts and home to abandoned and HIV-positive children during the height of the AIDS crisis. What began in 1989 as a photography assignment at the International Center of Photography evolved into a 30-year visual chronicle of love, resilience, family, and social change. Through intimate photographs and personal stories, the book captures a pivotal chapter in American history—one that challenged misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, redefined what family could look like, and helped illuminate the struggle for LGBTQ+ equality and adoption rights. This Kickstarter campaign will help bring this long-awaited project to publication, preserving an important story of compassion, courage, and hope for future generations. The campaign will launch in June.

Heritage Foundation 2026 - Restoring the Nuclear Family
The story of Raising Generation HIV is not only a look back at the AIDS crisis and the fight for gay adoption rights—it is also a reminder that the struggle for LGBTQ+ families continues today. While Florida's ban on gay adoption was overturned in 2010 after years of legal challenges, debates over who can adopt, foster, and raise children remain active across the country. Recent policy proposals from conservative organizations (Heritage Foundation) have promoted a traditional mother-father model of family and supported religious exemptions for adoption and foster-care agencies, raising concerns among LGBTQ+ advocates about equal access and protections. As new generations continue the fight for family equality, the experiences of Steven, Roger, and their children remain as relevant and inspiring as ever.