You know, living in such a small town, I thought I would get used to the small minds, but I am continuously amazed bu the lack of knowledge, simple knowledge, and the willingness to forge ahead with misinformation and stereotypes.
The question was posed the other day: Does Magic Johnson still have AIDS? And most people said, I don't think so. He was at the Michael Jackson Memorial and he looked all right.
I was stunned that people didn't know that you just don't 'get over it' like you do a cold or a hangover. if you are HIV+, you are that way for life. And I was stunned at how many people didn't know thatit isn't just gay people who get it. Seriously, many of the people I was talking with didn't know that they were, perhaps, at risk.
That lack of knowledge frightens me. And that stereotyping cares me, too. The thinking that if you get 'it' you're dead; or you're so sick you'll never be able to do anything.
So, then, imagine my immense pleasure when I learned that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced earlier this week that he has named Brent Adams, an openly gay and HIV positive man, as the state’s Acting Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation, making Adams the state’s first openly HIV-positive cabinet member.
Adams stated: “Time and time again, Governor Quinn has demonstrated his commitment to progressive values, and I’m honored to play a role in promoting his vision of a state that strives to project and promote equality of life for all people, including persons living with HIV. I think it’s an encouraging step forward for all of us.”
Indeed it is. A step forward toward the realization that people with HIV and AIDS can be productive members of society. They aren't a danger or a threat, and they aren't waiting to die.
Pete and I have a problem here at the moment (in the UK) with a thirty year old man who is still under his father's Mormon wing: ("He'd give me a real whipping if he found out I'd stayed the night in your house.")
ReplyDeleteIt would take enormous guts for such a guy to report that obvious assault to the police.
But others of his friends were here at the weekend asking if we also thought the guy was gay.
We certainly think he might be - but how to get him out of that church is another matter.
I would hope that high schools cover HIV in their health curriculum, but that doesn't help the ignorant adults. It really is surprising how many folks are ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI think what a lot of people don't understand is that being HIV+ doesn't necessarily mean that a person has AIDS.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Indianapolis, I went to a lecture given by one of our Infectious Disease doctors, Dr. Norris. This was right at the height of the AIDS epidemic, and it was still a new and devastating disease. Dr. Norris and his fellow ID docs saw many AIDS patients, because Indy has a fairly large gay population. Dr. N. said that he foresaw AIDS becoming a manageable disease like diabetes. It was hard to imagine that at the time, because it was a real killer then. I'm happy to say that he was right, and that so many are able to live with HIV now.