Absolutely, Act Up and its technical offshoot, Treatment Action Group founded by Peter Staley, went from protesting against the US CDC in the late 80s (to focus public attention) to working closely and cooperatively with them in the 90s.

Our public focus later shifted more to access to treatment, meaning affordable medication.

Once again, angry street theater engaged the public imagination and eventually garnered sympathetic press. The major pharmaceuticals changed their positions and worked with us in a spirit of creative cooperation to design workable drug access programs.

Once we reached a spirit of détente, our meetings with drug company execs were always civil. But nice? Everyone knew we’d be back in the streets if we couldn’t reach genuine solutions together. So nice wouldn’t be the right word.

As to how to translate this to more contemporary issues? It’s genuinely much harder because of the Internet and social media. People today stay inside their echo chambers these days. No truly national media platforms exist anymore outside of popular entertainment.

Some say the problem is intractable. I don’t know.