Neoliberalism

An economic theory that argued that the state should be less responsible for spending money on programs meant for individuals and that individuals should take that responsibility on for themselves. This was in stark contrast to previous ideas of Keynesian economics which argued for more state spending to create jobs and services for the individual. Major support for this idea came from Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. In the context of queer people in the 1970s, Reagan and other members of the Christian Right believed that society at large should not have to pay for the health care for individuals who contracted HIV/AIDS because of their own sin.