That meeting provided the foundation for what would become Gay Men's Health Crisis, the nation's first group dedicated to the prevention of H.I.V./AIDS, and the care and advocacy for those infected.
Over the next three decades, it would become a leader in the fight against the disease and a model for many other organizations.
But now that organization, forged in the fire of an epidemic and designed to take on the establishment, is firmly a part of that establishment.
Its challenge, according to both critics and supporters, is to stay relevant and nimble when much of the sense of urgency surrounding the disease has faded.
With the recent resignation of Dr. Marjorie J. Hill, who led the group for seven years, there is a renewed spotlight on the organization and a debate over how best it should use its influence and where it should focus attention.
The news release announcing Dr. Hill's resignation captured the current dynamic: "A New Direction for G.M.H.C."
Some advocates for people with AIDS say it could not come soon enough.
"It was a pioneering organization in the midst of darkness and ignorance," said Michael Petrelis, a writer in San Francisco who has been active in the AIDS movement. "However, I can't say that I have seen unique leadership from G.M.H.C. in recent years, especially in H.I.V. prevention."
"It is supposed to be the leading organization for AIDS prevention in the city, and yet they do not come to mind when people are talking about the challenges of the day," Mr. Petrelis said.
The leaders of G.M.H.C. defend the group's work in recent years, but acknowledge that they are facing new issues.
Last year, the organization operated at a six-figure loss, and government money is increasingly difficult to get.
David Fazio, the chief financial officer, said that despite running a deficit, the group's financial situation remained strong. It has a current annual budget of $26.7 million, and the AIDS Walk next year is expected to raise $5.4 million.
Myron Sulzberger Rolfe, the chairman of the board of directors, said the group had helped thousands of clients directly, and tens of thousands of others through its programs and outreach efforts.
He pointed to the group's recent collaboration with the city to combat a new health threat that emerged among the city's gay population in the spring. A unique strain of bacterial meningitis that could be casually transmitted was spreading, so the organization took a lead role in promoting awareness and prevention.
Some advocates for people with AIDS credit the group's response to the outbreak, but also say it contrasts with the way it deals with AIDS.
Peter Staley, a driving force behind Act Up, an AIDS activist group known for its sometimes extreme demonstrations, said much more attention needed to be paid to prevention.
"We are once again ignoring H.I.V./AIDS, and while we are ignoring it, it is rearing its ugly head again," Mr. Staley said. "We are seeing a new epidemic of H.I.V. infections among young gay men, especially young gay men of color."
Mr. Staley acknowledges that, as someone who came of age during the height of the crisis and saw the disease ravage New York in the 1980s and '90s, he still believes that having a crisis mentality is the best defense against the disease.
He describes many organizations around the country dedicated to fighting H.I.V./AIDS, including Gay Men's Health Crisis, as "AIDS Inc.," arguing that they have become stale and timid, content to take government money and not challenge the status quo.
"For those of us who never left the crisis mentality and think that is our best posture, to see these large bloated bureaucracies rich with large government grants and the still stubbornly high rates of infection in this country, it is frustrating," he said.
From 2001 to 2011, the number of new H.I.V. diagnoses in New York City declined by 40 percent. In 2001, there were 5,841 diagnoses. In 2011, there were 3,404, according to the city's health department.
Mr. Staley said that while progress had certainly been made, the annual number of new infections was unacceptable in a city with the kinds of health and education resources that New York has.
Janet Weinberg, who is leading Gay Men's Health Crisis on an interim basis, said it was "grappling" with the same kinds of changes affecting many other AIDS organizations.
But she said the goal remained the same: to focus efforts on "high impact prevention" practices.
For some critics, the decision to relocate the group's headquarters to the Far West Side from Chelsea two years ago not only was a costly blunder, but also symbolized how removed the organization had become from the community it serves.
The new offices are a good distance from the subway, and the group had to make some concessions to the landlord to get the space. For instance, it is not allowed to provide medical services on-site.
Mr. Kramer, who has not been shy about publicizing his disagreements with the group he helped found, went so far as to call for Dr. Hill to resign, saying she was putting the interests of the landlord ahead of the interests of the clients.
Mr. Rolfe acknowledged that the new office space was not perfect. "It was the best, most logical, cost-effective option available at a time when a decision had to be made," he said.
Mr. Staley said the group had long been a target.
"They are always going to be a punching bag," he said. "They are the big game in town."
But that role carries responsibility, he added: "I think it is a very large bureaucracy that is filled with molasses."
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