This morning I took my 1st period to see the AIDS quilt display in the Student Lunch Room and later made the connection between AIDS, coming out of the closet, and the ultimate success of the gay rights movement. People raised in an anti-gay culture were much more likely to change their views if they realized that someone they already had come to respect was in fact gay. AIDS forced many people out of the closet, so while there was an immediate homophobic backlash to the emergence of the disease, resistance to funding research, etc., the longer term effect was to humanize a previously obscure population.
I read Andrew Sullivan about twice a day, but I did not catch this post on the same theme made about 10 minutes before class began today. What a coincidence! The letter Sullivan posts says it all better than I ever could. Definitely worth a click. This is why Cleve Jones coming to Aragon is a big deal.
5 comments:
The Andrew Sullivan article that Mr. Silton referenced is very worthy of reading. It really shows the effect AIDS has had on someone's life from a personal standpoint. The sad truth was that there was "an immediate homophobic backlash to the emergence of the disease." And unfortunately, it is human nature to place the blame on someone else, and especially someone who is in a minority. But the process was ironically beneficial in a way, because it got more gays to come out. It's just too bad that AIDS had to surround this movement...I intend to see the AIDS quilt now if it is still on display.
I agree with Connor. The Sullivan post was very interesting and very touching because of how it had changed him and the people who interacted with him. I think that in today's world, we are more "apathetic" to it than when it first came out in the 80s and 90s. Even though there was a huge scare of AIDS and gays when it first emerged onto the scene, it made many people who would have remained in the closet because social reasons come out for their health. I reall liked the post because it reminds people of our generation, and especially those who are not directly involved in the LGBT rights campaign, how important AIDS was for the public and this community a few decades ago. It personalizes something that we don't really connect with today because it happened years ago and it is not as relevant anymore. It reminds us to be thankful that AIDS isn't as relevant today because of the efforts previous generations made to address it.
I think for us younger gays and just us younger people in general, it is difficult for us to truly understand the effect that AIDS had on the gay culture and society as a whole. The Quilt is important because it humanizes the crisis. Creating art out of a lost life is probably the most poignant and powerful way to remember someone and capture their essence. That's reason one as to why the Quilt is important. But another, more practical reason why it was important was that it forced Regan to recognize the fact that this was important. He actually had a policy within the White House not to mention the words "AIDS" at all in any context. He literally ignored it not out of ignorance but out of bigotry. And because of it, THOUSANDS of people died. Thanks to Cleve and thanks to the Names Project and AIDS Emergency Fund, and dare I say, the Gay Community as a whole for being on the front lines of mobilization to finding a cure, HIV is no longer a death sentence.
Cleve Jones and his AIDS quilt are an absolute inspiration. What a prime example of our government letting people die simply because of conflicting values and beliefs (and a ridiculous order of priorities).
The anectdote of the Sullivan post definitely brought a personal aspect to the AIDS movement. It's really tragic how the AIDS backlash has really set back and stigmatized the gay community. And as a result of Reagan's actions, that Jason mentioned in his previous comment, we've been set back at least a decade in AIDS research and treatment development for HIV/AIDS. By now, we could have had a cure for HIV/AIDS already, but because of Reagan's and the public's ignorance, we don't. Unfortunately, the backlash of the HIV/AIDS and community has left a legacy of discrimination and fear of a disease that can be easily kept under control with proper medical attention.
Post a Comment