Thanks Lana, et al:
One thing people fail to realize about the early beginnings of the AIDS epidemic is that it was the gay community, not the FDC or the CDC or any other arm of local or federal government that got the word out fast that we were all in danger and needed to change our behavior and fast. Even the Reagan Administration folks had to admit we -- as in the gay community -- did much more to slow down the spread of AIDS than the government ever did. Check up on the history of the Gay Mens Health Crisis Center in Manhattan as just one example. Similar stand up and shout out loud campaigns took place in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco (where the gay community was just as eager to shut down the baths as the city health officials), Los Angeles, Denver, Pittsburgh, Miami, Austin, and New Orleans. These were all grass roots operations that did not depend upon handouts from the government for seed money because it was WAY obvious the Reagan Administration did not give a fucking damn. In fact, the general consensus among straight people at the time was "Good, the faggots deserve a gay disease that will wipe them all out." And while our communities were more than decimated (that is, more than 1 in every 10 members died) Reagan took naps.
As I've mentioned in other posts about gay bashing and people preaching hatred against gays, turning the other cheek never worked. In the 1970's we took it upon ourselves to patrol our neighborhoods to prevent and catch criminals intent upon hate crimes. The police were of little or no value (albeit, San Francisco's police were probably the most sympathetic because they were not entirely controlled by mob money unlike New York).
And yes, I'm more than shocked at the prevalence in the United States of the rise in HIV despite all of the work the gay community at large has done to get the word out. There are LPSG-ers here who have the good fortune to be alive, despite being HIV+, because of major breakthroughs in antiviral drug cocktails. But they are pretty much stuck with taking their medication the rest of their lives. Ask them how they feel about the situation. They are not trying to be poster boys for promiscuity.
Unfortunately, with the right public relations tactics just about anythinb can be made to sound "normal." Just thumbing through gay magazines (including The Advocate) you find these romantic vacation-like photos of men prancing along the beach as if nothing is wrong, except they just happen to supposedly be HIV+. No big whoop. Just take this $500 a day dose of Pfizer's new miracle drug and you'll be fine. Like I stated before, the only time I've ever seen a conservative be compassionate is when there's a dime to be made off of another's misfortune.
The idea that it's a person's own fault for contracting a disease, especially AIDS, is one of the most arrogant and ignorant postures one can assume. And it belies an enormous capacity for stupidity. If a serious sex education program were implemented in public and private schools addressing the need to use condoms and practice safe sex, I guarantee you that the rising numbers of HIV cases would begin to drop once again. But no. In 'Mericuh sex ed is "sacred" and only the Pope or the family or the pastor can discuss these issues and spread as much misinformation as possible.
Hmmmm . . . maybe I should get off the fence and develop a real opinion on this whole AIDS thing. Ya think?