Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Oak Park, Michigan Posts : 23201 Rep : 330
Subject: World AIDS Day Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:16 pm
Hey everyone, today is World AIDS Day.
Next year (2011) will mark the 30th anniversary since the first AIDS diagnosis back in 1981. In the time since, we've lost near countless millions of people to the disease and millions more are living with it. Has this disease affected you in any way personally? Have you known anyone infected, or who has sadly died from complications related to it?
Do you believe–as many do–that the Reagan administration saw AIDS as a divine intervention, and were content to let the disease wipe out those who they deemed were 'undesirables?'
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:35 pm
Chris wrote:
Do you believe–as many do–that the Reagan administration saw AIDS as a divine intervention, and were content to let the disease wipe out those who they deemed were 'undesirables?'
Pretty much. Reagan reacted to the onslaught of AIDS with extreme apathy, and a shrug. He (like any Republican) couldn't care less about a plague that hindered "undesirables" like homosexuals, intravenous drug users, the poorer class, or anybody who didn't vote for him. Reagen had AIDS, twenty-something years later his vice presidents son had Katrina.
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Wed Dec 01, 2010 11:17 pm
Chris wrote:
Hey everyone, today is World AIDS Day.
Next year (2011) will mark the 30th anniversary since the first AIDS diagnosis back in 1981. In the time since, we've lost near countless millions of people to the disease and millions more are living with it. Has this disease affected you in any way personally? Have you known anyone infected, or who has sadly died from complications related to it?
Do you believe–as many do–that the Reagan administration saw AIDS as a divine intervention, and were content to let the disease wipe out those who they deemed were 'undesirables?'
The disease has never affected me personally and I've never known anyone who has suffered from it or died from it. What a terror that would be to go through and to watch.
To answer your other question, I believe that's absolutely what Reagan thought. Reagan was an idiot. At the time it mostly infected gay men and drug addicts, so it didn't matter to him. Reagan didn't speak publicly about it until 1985. That's despicable. An absolutely despicable president, one of the worst.
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 1:02 am
December First World AIDS Day
We Remember
World AIDS Day, a day to remember friends lost to this scourge and to renew efforts to contain the disease which is still here, still has no cure and still takes lives.
Some of us remember when there was no AIDS. Some of us remember when the mysterious killer first emerged, still remember the fear of an unknown killer and the discrimination borne of ignorance. I remember many fallen friends, five of which I have fotos to show here.
Randy
Worked at the North Central Florida AIDS Network where I came to know and befriend him.
Julio
An artist on Miami Beach, whose work I admired in the 1980s and who I befriended before he died in the 1990s.
Mark
A friend I met at Body Positive Resource Center where I massaged his buff bod, then watched him waste before he died in the early 2000s.
Terry
A patient at Jackson when I met him, then a friend of me and my wife with whom we visited on Miami Beach. I lost track of Terry when we moved away in 1991, but indications are that he has died.
Jose
A nudist friend whom I often saw on Haulover Beach and visited in his Coconut Grove home. He was always full of cheer and funny.
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 1:24 am
I just can't believe that after all this time, there hasn't been medical advances to this killer that would allow people to be able to go into remission, like with certain cancers.
Every few years some news report announces an advancement on treatments that would allows people with HIV to live longer or some vaccine that could severely lessen their potential for the disease to ever spread to full blown AIDS, and would simply allow HIV+ people to go on living to old age with it. But in the meantime I think, "Well what about the people who DO have full blown AIDS?" What's being for them? Are scientists ONLY focusing on keeping people who ONLY have HIV alive?
It's always disheartened me when I hear people cynically remark that the medical community doesn't really wanna find a cure for HIV/AIDS because it's a cash cow. Not only is it a cruel, cynical sentiment...but sadly, it makes sense.
TSJFan4Ever …is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-03-28 Posts : 5362 Rep : 78
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:26 am
I haven't known anyone personally. I remember AIDS mainly from what I saw on TV - The Ryan White Story, GH (Stone & Robin) and the Degrassi series.
Nystyle709 ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-03-16 Location : New York Posts : 27030 Rep : 339
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:03 am
MandyPerfumeGirl wrote:
Yeah, something to be cheery about.
LOL (shaking my head). I HIGHLY doubt being 'cheery' about his brother in law having HIV is something Alan was trying to convey. He meant that his brother in law is, so far, living with the virus and being complication free and living a normal and healthy life with it. Like Magic Johnson.
Nystyle709 ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-03-16 Location : New York Posts : 27030 Rep : 339
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:07 am
To answer your question Chris, yes I've known something with HIV, yes I've known someone who has died from it and yes, Reagan was an asshole when it came to publicly declaring AIDS an national crisis.
Chris Chamber Admin.
Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Oak Park, Michigan Posts : 23201 Rep : 330
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:15 am
MandyPerfumeGirl wrote:
The disease has never affected me personally and I've never known anyone who has suffered from it or died from it. What a terror that would be to go through and to watch.
To answer your other question, I believe that's absolutely what Reagan thought. Reagan was an idiot. At the time it mostly infected gay men and drug addicts, so it didn't matter to him. Reagan didn't speak publicly about it until 1985. That's despicable. An absolutely despicable president, one of the worst.
Yeah, wasn't until Rock Hudson – who was from Reagen's old Hollywood circle – was diagnosed with AIDS that he finally spoke on it. Although I have to wonder if Hudson's unmasked homosexuality caused any kind of trepidation on his part.
Ronald Reagen's own son called his own father (and administration) out for their apathy towards the 'types' of people AIDS initially afflicted.
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:18 am
Because of my involvement with AIDS since the mid '80s, I was drafted by my company to take the training and be the in-house AIDS instructor. In my biz, state law mandates such training for employees; 4-hr initial course and a 2-hr follow up every 2 years.
So the curriculum covers the history when it was first called GRID - Gay Related ImmunoDeficiency since it showed up initially in gay men. Trouble with the latency period of the disease was that before it became known most gay men were affected by it. So gay men are the highest number of infected and take the blame for the disease, despite the fact that it is just a bloodborne pathogen that doesn't care about morality but just method of transmission. (Lesbians are homosexuals too, yet they are less at risk than heterosexual women).
As for treatment, that was 1996, with the introduction of protease inhibitor medications which finally kept the majority of ppl from dying of AIDS. Ppl were literally getting up out of their deathbeds with that breakthru. Not a good course of treatment but better than the alternative. And, I point out some ppl still die of the disease, like my friend Mark who died in 2001.
But before '96 every gay man was inundated with either his own infection or that of his friends and lovers who were dying. That was the face of AIDS in the '80s and the overreacting prejudice of ignorant ppl who refused to believe that it was actually a hard disease to catch, requiring body fluid exchange. I had some trepidation when first volunteering with an AIDS group here in Miami that my boss would react badly. Luckily she was cool and eventually even took in a guy who was dying of the disease.
So, now it seems to be a race among the demographics as to who can make the most new infections, gay men, black/hispanic men, then down to the affected women. But, ppl take stupid chances with sex (I have gone thru the 3-month testing phase myself because of mishaps that could have exposed me. Luckily the exposure was with HIV negative men). A lot of young gay men who did not see everyone in their community dying daily think it is just an inconvenience that you can live with. Again, my friend Mark who died after the protease inhibitor meds were being used.
Tony Marino …is a Global Moderator.
Join date : 2010-01-31 Location : New York Posts : 26786 Rep : 607
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:55 am
alan smithee wrote:
My brother in law was diagnosed HIV positive a number of years ago. So far so good.
I have a friend that was diagnosed about 10 years ago with HIV and he is doing fine.
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 2:10 pm
Glad to hear it Tony. I had to double check with my wife and even she was no longer sure about her brother...at least 10 years. And thanks NYstyle. I read "cheery" too and thought .
Forgiveness Man …is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-06-25 Location : Chilling on your sofa Posts : 6657 Rep : 153
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Thu Dec 02, 2010 2:12 pm
The ideas about the Reagan administration seems like bitter conspiracy theory and nothing more.
So far, I don't know anybody affected by AIDS in my personal life. I pray for those effected and I do hope to one day see a cure.
Chris Chamber Admin.
Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Oak Park, Michigan Posts : 23201 Rep : 330
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:31 am
Not to make light of the subject, but does anyone have a favorite AIDS movie or TV episode?
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:41 am
And the Band Played On (1993). It's a dramatized account of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
Chris Chamber Admin.
Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Oak Park, Michigan Posts : 23201 Rep : 330
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:50 am
alan smithee wrote:
And the Band Played On (1993). It's a dramatized account of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
I saw And the Band Played On only once, when it originally aired on HBO; I remember it being good though. Was interesting seeing the depiction of the alleged AIDS 'patient zero.' I recall him basically coming off like a flagrant socio-path.
Forgiveness Man …is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-06-25 Location : Chilling on your sofa Posts : 6657 Rep : 153
Subject: Re: World AIDS Day Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:19 am
Chris wrote:
Not to make light of the subject, but does anyone have a favorite AIDS movie or TV episode?
Hitskin.com
. 
So yeah, I got my favorite then. 
Calendar
