AIDS Epidemic

Gunner wrote:

<snip>

> >  Sorry, both of you, but I was there in 1984, working with the LA CARES
> >  program of AIDS education.  Reagan himself may not have been an active
> >  homophobe, but plenty of the Right-wing people in his administration
> >  were, and frustrated efforts at education by banning material on
> >  safe-sex in clear language and ignoring the epidemic as much as
> >  possible.  The gay community helped itself, with very limited "help"
> >  from any government agencies.

> >   <snip>

> >  Rat

> Lets be frank here, ok?

  That might help.

>  The gay community didn't help itself,

  It did.  We raised quite a bit of money, set up food banks, created
  volunteer groups whose members visited people with AIDS to help
  them with household tasks, shopping and health care, set up our own
  newsletters, pamphlets, and programs to bring information to the
  places where it was needed, even places like baths, bars, S/M clubs,
  and so on. (Remember the bowls of condoms and free condom give-aways,
  and free clean needle exchanges?) Activists in the gay community
  argued for safe-sex practices, created support groups to help
  encourage safe-sex, worked hard to make safe-sex "hot".  Even
  pornographers like John Preston got into the act by writing porn
  with safe-sex messages.  The community -- almost all of it -- rallied
  behind the effort.  And we succeeded in slowing the epidemic quite
  a bit.  A big part of the problem was the long incubation period.
  Many people were infected but didn't know it.  The community
  activists stressed that everyone should assume _anyone_ they slept
  with, long-term or short-term, was infected and take precautions.

  <snip>
> And of course now..you lads have
> the fucking strange cult of Bug Chasers..gays whom intentionally seek
> out HIV positive sex partners.

  There's a bit of fatalism, and a degree of survivor guilt.  And
  teens, both gay and straight, tend to see themselves as
  invulnerable and not consider consequences.  Gays are no more
  irresponsible than straights in the same age and social group.
  Look at the raging infection rate among straights.

  <snip>

   Rat