The Normal Heart: Rememberg How New York Cy’s Gay Communy Was Decimated by AIDS | Vany Fair

Contents:

• ‘THE NORMAL HEART’ AND THE MORALY OF BEG GAY
• ‘THE NORMAL HEART’ VIRTUAL READG SET WH STERLG K. BROWN, LAVERNE COX: “IT DON’T HAVE TO BE ABOUT ALL WHE GAY MEN”
• DEATH AND THE CYTHE HBO ADAPTATN OF THE NORMAL HEART, LARRY KRAMER’S 1985 PLAY ABOUT THE AIDS CRISIS NEW YORK CY, ISN’T JT A WORTHY PROJECT. LIKE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, ’S A SHOCKG REMR OF HOW THE ESTABLISHMENT FIDDLED AS THOANDS OF MOSTLY YOUNG GAY MEN DIED.BY JAM WOLTTILLTRATN BY SEAN MCCABEAPRIL 11, 2014SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAT THE RISK OF OUTG MYSELF AS AN UNMON CHURL, NEWS OF AN HBO ADAPTATN OF LARRY KRAMER’S PLAY THE NORMAL HEART DIDN’T EXACTLY RG MY DNER BELL WH EXCEMENT. MY RPONSE WAS MORE ALONG THE L OF “WHY THIS? WHY NOW?” LIKE AN ARTHUR MILLER CLASSIC BROUGHT DOWN OM THE ATTIC, ANOTHER ROLLOUT OF KRAMER’S STAGE DRAMA THREATENED TO RELEASE THE DT BUNNI OF A DILIGENTLY WORTHY UPLIFTG ENTERPRISE; SEEMED LIKE A NOBLE GTURE, A SOLEMN NOD OM THE PREMIER PAY-BLE OUTF THAT HAS STORMED THE RAMPARTS WH GAME OF THRON AND FISHED GODLS DREAD OUT OF THE MAZY BAYOU WH TE DETECTIVE. LIKE A LOT OF , I’VE GOTTEN SPOILED BY HBO’S HNS. TO BE PRENTED ON HBO OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, THE NORMAL HEART TOUTS A QUICK-ON-THE-DRAW DIRECTOR (RYAN MURPHY, HE OF GLEE AND AMERIN HORROR STORY) AND A JTICE LEAGUE ST (JULIA ROBERTS, MARK RUFFALO, JOE MANTELLO, JONATHAN GROFF, ALED MOLA, JIM PARSONS), BUT THE ORIGAL MATERIAL HAS NONE OF THE GOLD-LAMé SPLENDACY OF HBO’S ROYAL TA-DA LAST MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND—STEVEN SORBERGH’S LIBERACE FANDANGO, BEHD THE CANLABRA, WHICH WENT LAWDY-MISS-GDY AND ENSHRED MICHAEL DOUGLAS AND MATT DAMON A RO ARRAY OF FALL-OF-THE-ROMAN-EMPIRE ENSEMBL. THE NORMAL HEART IS A MUCH SQUARER NSTCTN, WHICH MAY ACUNT FOR S DURABILY. IT GO NO NEW DIRECTNS, BUT THE DIRECTN GO DRIV FIERCE. STILL, WHY THIS, WHY NOW?ORIGALLY PRODUCED AT THE PUBLIC THEATER 1985 AND TRIUMPHANTLY REVIVED 2011 (WH ELLEN BARK MAKG HER BROADWAY BUT, FOR WHICH SHE WON A TONY), KRAMER’S PLAY IS ONE OF THE LANDMARK DOCUMENTS OF THE PLAGUE YEARS NEW YORK CY, WHEN THE AIDS OUTBREAK RAVAGED THOANDS OF LIV OF MOSTLY YOUNG GAY MEN THEIR PRIME AS PANIC AND PARANOIA FEASTED ON EVERYONE’S FEARS WHILE POLIL, MEDIA, AND MEDIL PILLARS OF PROPRIETY STOOD IMPASSIVELY BY, DNG FOR THE ROLE OF PONTI PILATE. ONE OF THE FOUNRS OF GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS, KRAMER WAS AT THE EPICENTER OF THE ENGULFMENT, SOUNDG THE LOUST ALARM OVER THE DIRE NSEQUENC OF NIALISM. OTED OM G.M.H.C. FOR BEG SUCH A FEROCLY OUTSPOKEN AND TEMPERAMENTALLY DISPTIVE LONE RANGER, KRAMER WROTE THE NORMAL HEART WH THE URGENCY OF AN AMBULANCE SIREN AND THE WRATH OF A LN. THE PLAY DIDN’T ALLEGORIZE THE SUATN. IT BLASTED THE RAFTERS, POTED FGERS, AND NAMED NAM, MOST EXRIATGLY THAT OF THEN MAYOR ED KOCH, WHO WAS WILY ASSUMED THE GAY MUNY TO BE A CLOSET HOMOSEXUAL, A CRAVEN IMPOSTOR. (WHEN AN AI THE NORMAL HEART SISTS, “THE MAYOR IS NOT GAY,” THE REJOR IS “OH, E ON, BLANCHE.”) THE PADDY CHAYEFSKYAN HUMANISM, RHETORIL BLAMMO, BRISTLG NERV, AND SIEGE MENTALY KRAMER’S PLAY ARGUABLY HOLD UP BETTER THAN THE MAGIC REALISM OF TONY KHNER’S ANGELS AMERI (WHICH HBO MOUNTED ON-SCREEN 2003, DIRECTED BY MIKE NICHOLS), AND RYAN MURPHY’S VERSN LIVERS THE SHOCK WAV, THE DIATRIB, AND THE TEARS. THAT HBO’S PRODUCTN OF THE NORMAL HEART FOLLOWS SO SOON ON THE BOOT HEELS OF DALLAS BUYERS CLUB SUGGTS THAT THE AIDS NIGHTMARE REF TO RT THE AMNIAC FOG TO WHICH AMERI NSIGNS S SHAMEFUL CHAPTERS. THE DUTY TO THE AD REQUIR OUR ATTENTN, AND THE ARE FET-ME-NOTS THAT GO OFF LIKE HAND GRENAS.FOR THOSE WHO WERE AROUND AND MORALLY AWAKE THROUGH THOSE YEARS AND THE AFTERMATH, THERE IS A SENSE THAT THE AIDS VASTATN HAS EVAPORATED CULTURAL MEMORY, THE PERD SANIZED AND NOSTALGIFIED BY JOHN HUGH G-OF-AGERS (THE BREAKFAST CLUB), DYNASTY SHOULR PADS, AND THE BOLIVIAN-MARCHG-POWR BENRS OF BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CY. HARROWG, HEARTBREAKG FILMS, NOVELS, AND MEMOIRS TTIFIED TO THE TRAGEDY AS UNFOLD, OM THE TV DRAMA AN EARLY FROST AND FILMS SUCH AS PARTG GLANC, LONGTIME COMPANN (WHICH STILL HOLDS UP BETIFULLY), AND PHILALPHIA TO RANDY SHILTS’S VTIGATIVE MASTERWORK AND THE BAND PLAYED ON (TURNED TO AN HBO FILM 1993), PL MOTE’S MEMOIR BORROWED TIME, DAVID WOJNAROWICZ’S SAY LLECTN CLOSE TO THE KNIV, SAN SONTAG’S SHORT STORY “THE WAY WE LIVE NOW,” AND THE “MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH” CHAPTER TOM WOLFE’S NOVEL THE BONFIRE OF THE VANI. BUT A SYLLAB IS NO SUBSTUTE FOR AN ACTIVE, ENGAGED AWARENS, AND AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT LOOKED AWAY AS LONG AS ULD DURG THE AIDS EPIMIC LOOKS BACK AS SELDOM AS POSSIBLE, THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND THE GLASS-TOWER PROSPERY OF THE REAL-TATE BOOM BANISHG THE TRMA TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF MEMORATN. MANHATTAN HAS BEE SO EXPENSIVE A PROPOSN THAT EVEN S GHOSTS HAVE BEEN PRICED OUT OF THEIR HNTG PLAC. IN “THE GENTRIFITN OF AIDS,” CLUD HER SLIM, ELEGIAC LLECTN THE GENTRIFITN OF THE MD: WNS TO A LOST IMAGATN, PLAYWRIGHT-NOVELIST-SAYIST-ACTIVIST SARAH SCHULMAN NTRASTS THE MAGNU OF LOSS OM “1981 TO 1996, WHEN THERE WAS A MASS ATH EXPERIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE,” WH THE MCULE TRACE RIDUE LEFT ON THE NSCIENCE AND NSCNS OF SO MANY SURVIVORS AND THOSE WHO ME AFTER. “THEIR ABSENCE IS NOT PUTED AND THE MEANG OF THEIR LOSS IS NOT NSIRED.” SHE NTRASTS THE SUALTY TOLL OF AIDS—“81,542 PEOPLE … DIED OF AIDS NEW YORK CY AS OF AUGT 16, 2008”—WH THE MOURNG AND AVENGG OF THE “2,752 PEOPLE [WHO] DIED NEW YORK CY ON 9/11.” “THE DISALLOWED GRIEF OF TWENTY YEARS OF AIDS ATHS WAS REPLACED BY RUALIZED AND STUTNALIZED MOURNG OF THE ACCEPTABLE AD,” SHE ARGU. A FREEDOM TOWER POK THE SKY OM LOWER MANHATTAN, BUT THE AIDS AD, THOUGH FAR GREATER NUMBER, HAVE NO MEMORIAL, THEIR NAM UNRERD ON ANY WALL OR ALONG ANY REFLECTG POOL.AS A HCHCK FILM, THE HORROR THE NORMAL HEART TRODUC SELF NOCENT DAYLIGHT. NETEEN EIGHTY-ONE. THE FIRE ISLAND FERRY BOARDS AND THE SCREEN BULG AND GLISTENS WH BUFF, BRONZED BODI EXALTG LIBERTY LIKE SAILORS ON SHORE LEAVE. ONLY NED WEEKS (RUFFALO) SEEMS LS THAN STTTG PROUD OF HIS PHYSIQUE, SELF-NSCLY TUGGG HIS SHIRT AS IF HIS ABS WEREN’T QUE READY FOR SPECTN. HE DON’T OWN THE NER POUNCE OF A TE PAGAN. HE’S RELUCTANT TO TAKE THE NTEA PLUNGE TO THE BIG BOPPG PARTY ON THE BEACH, AND HE’S BRIEFLY ARRTED (AS WHO WOULDN’T BE?) BY THE SPECTACLE OF FOUR MEN NJOED A CLTER-HUMP UNR THE TRE, AS IF FORMG A MYTHOLOGIL BEAST. THE BELL TOLL THAT SOUNDS THAT CLOSG TIME PARADISE IS THE TELLTALE UGH OF A YOUNG MAN WHO LLAPS ON THE SAND, THE OVERHEAD MERA ANGLE SIGNALG S PORTENTONS. THAT UGH IS LIKE THE FIRST SHOT HEARD A WAR, THE CUE FOR THE ASSLT WAV TO E CRASHG. THE NORMAL HEART IMMERS THE VIEWER HOW FAST AND OVERWHELMGLY EVERYTHG ME TO A FEVERISH SIEGE FOR THE GAY MUNY. COUGHS THAT MIGHT BE SHGGED OFF AS A TOUCH OF FLU EPEN TO RACKG NVULSNS, AND MANY WHO WERE STRAPPG F OR ELEGANTLY SLENR ONLY A FEW WEEKS EARLIER BEE EMACIATED, PALE, VERED WH SOR, TREMBLG, TERRIFIED, OSTRACIZED, NEGLECTED, REJECTED, BEDRIDN, THEN GONE. SO MANY GONE THAT ’S HARD TO KEEP TRACK. IN THE NORMAL HEART, JIM PARSONS PLAYS A G.M.H.C. ACTIVIST WHO, AFTER GETTG WORD OF THE ATH OF A IEND OR NTACT OM AIDS, REMOV THE VICTIM’S RD OM HIS ROLOX AND KEEPS THE ACCUMULATG RDS OF THE AD HIS SK, HIS WAY OF HONORG THEIR NAM. HE’S TERRIFIC THE FILM, AS ARE JULIA ROBERTS, DYNAMIZED AS SHE WHIZZ AROUND HER WHEELCHAIR WH THE OFFIC DISPATCH OF A DOCTOR WHO DON’T HAVE AN IDLE OR IVOLO MOMENT TO SPARE FOR OBSTCTNIST FOOLS (SHE WIELDS HER SWL LIKE A WEED WHACKER), AND MARK RUFFALO, THE TRICKY ROLE OF LARRY KRAMER’S MOUTHPIECE AND STAND-, WHO N KILL A PARTY WH HIS RIGHTEO FERVOR FASTER THAN BARBRA STREISAND THE WAY WE WERE AND, AS HIS TRATN LAT, HECTORS BOTH IENDS AND FO LIKE A BURNG PROPHET, YET REMAS VULNERABLE, SYMPATHETIC, THE SERVG FOL POT. HIS TACTICS MAY BE MISTAKEN SOMETIM AND HIS MANNERS LACKG, BUT HE SE THE MAGNU OF THE AIDS CRISIS TAKG MONSTRO FORM, FUELED BY FEAR AND HATRED OF HOMOSEXUALS AND OTHER MORI. THEY WANT AD IS THE PROTAGONIST’S PRIMAL SCREAM. ALTHOUGH THE DIS SELECTNS ON S SOUNDTRACK AREN’T THE MOST ORIGAL, THE NORMAL HEART IS VERY GOOD AT RE-CREATG THE GBBY GREENWICH VILLAGE VALY AND DISREPAIR OF MANHATTAN’S LAST BOHEMIAN HURRAH, THE LOPSID MOUNDS OF UNLLECTED GARBAGE THE STREET, THE QUARRELSOME MEETGS HOT ROOMS WHERE THE FANS DO LTLE GOOD AND EVERYONE’S IRRABLE AND SARSTIC, THE HOSPAL WARDS WHERE AIDS PATIENTS ARE TREATED AS LEPERS AND THAT HAVE ALL THE CHARM OF IRON CURTA PRISONS. WHY THIS, WHY NOW? BEE AS THE S PASS WE ARE DANGER OF FETTG FOREVER WHAT WENT DOWN. NOTHG DONE NOW N MAKE UP FOR WHAT WASN’T DONE THEN, BUT THE NORMAL HEART, LIKE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, REMDS THAT THIS IS HOW WENT DOWN THAT REAGAN ERA SO MANY OF OUR SOFTER MDS STILL WANT TO REMEMBER AND CHERISH AS A BETIFUL PATED SUNSET.MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERPRCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE’S HEART OF INVICT NETFLIX DOC GETS A TRAILER AND RELEASE DATEBY KASE WICKMANJAM WOLTT
• THE NORMAL HEART: ONE OF TV'S BT PORTRAYALS OF GAY ROMANCE, EVER

‘THE NORMAL HEART’ AND THE MORALY OF BEG GAY

It is centred around the wrer Ned Weeks and the gay health advocy group that he helped to tablish along wh closeted banker Bce Nil, the ee love advote Mickey Marc, and the self-scribed “Southern bch, ” Tommy Boatwright. After watchg the 2021-revival of Larry Kramer’s largely tobgraphil play, a qutn lgers my md: What do mean to be a moral gay man? There are openly gay characters, such as Ned, who argue for direct and public nontatn wh the thori who refed to get volved this ‘gay’ disease, and others like Bce who prefer to work om the ‘si.

‘THE NORMAL HEART’ VIRTUAL READG SET WH STERLG K. BROWN, LAVERNE COX: “IT DON’T HAVE TO BE ABOUT ALL WHE GAY MEN”

’ Some of the members of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) argue that havg sex wh other man is a civil right fought long and hard for and should not be curtailed, while others argue that the muny needs to take a stand to be celibate to save liv.

DEATH AND THE CYTHE HBO ADAPTATN OF THE NORMAL HEART, LARRY KRAMER’S 1985 PLAY ABOUT THE AIDS CRISIS NEW YORK CY, ISN’T JT A WORTHY PROJECT. LIKE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, ’S A SHOCKG REMR OF HOW THE ESTABLISHMENT FIDDLED AS THOANDS OF MOSTLY YOUNG GAY MEN DIED.BY JAM WOLTTILLTRATN BY SEAN MCCABEAPRIL 11, 2014SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAT THE RISK OF OUTG MYSELF AS AN UNMON CHURL, NEWS OF AN HBO ADAPTATN OF LARRY KRAMER’S PLAY THE NORMAL HEART DIDN’T EXACTLY RG MY DNER BELL WH EXCEMENT. MY RPONSE WAS MORE ALONG THE L OF “WHY THIS? WHY NOW?” LIKE AN ARTHUR MILLER CLASSIC BROUGHT DOWN OM THE ATTIC, ANOTHER ROLLOUT OF KRAMER’S STAGE DRAMA THREATENED TO RELEASE THE DT BUNNI OF A DILIGENTLY WORTHY UPLIFTG ENTERPRISE; SEEMED LIKE A NOBLE GTURE, A SOLEMN NOD OM THE PREMIER PAY-BLE OUTF THAT HAS STORMED THE RAMPARTS WH GAME OF THRON AND FISHED GODLS DREAD OUT OF THE MAZY BAYOU WH TE DETECTIVE. LIKE A LOT OF , I’VE GOTTEN SPOILED BY HBO’S HNS. TO BE PRENTED ON HBO OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, THE NORMAL HEART TOUTS A QUICK-ON-THE-DRAW DIRECTOR (RYAN MURPHY, HE OF GLEE AND AMERIN HORROR STORY) AND A JTICE LEAGUE ST (JULIA ROBERTS, MARK RUFFALO, JOE MANTELLO, JONATHAN GROFF, ALED MOLA, JIM PARSONS), BUT THE ORIGAL MATERIAL HAS NONE OF THE GOLD-LAMé SPLENDACY OF HBO’S ROYAL TA-DA LAST MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND—STEVEN SORBERGH’S LIBERACE FANDANGO, BEHD THE CANLABRA, WHICH WENT LAWDY-MISS-GDY AND ENSHRED MICHAEL DOUGLAS AND MATT DAMON A RO ARRAY OF FALL-OF-THE-ROMAN-EMPIRE ENSEMBL. THE NORMAL HEART IS A MUCH SQUARER NSTCTN, WHICH MAY ACUNT FOR S DURABILY. IT GO NO NEW DIRECTNS, BUT THE DIRECTN GO DRIV FIERCE. STILL, WHY THIS, WHY NOW?ORIGALLY PRODUCED AT THE PUBLIC THEATER 1985 AND TRIUMPHANTLY REVIVED 2011 (WH ELLEN BARK MAKG HER BROADWAY BUT, FOR WHICH SHE WON A TONY), KRAMER’S PLAY IS ONE OF THE LANDMARK DOCUMENTS OF THE PLAGUE YEARS NEW YORK CY, WHEN THE AIDS OUTBREAK RAVAGED THOANDS OF LIV OF MOSTLY YOUNG GAY MEN THEIR PRIME AS PANIC AND PARANOIA FEASTED ON EVERYONE’S FEARS WHILE POLIL, MEDIA, AND MEDIL PILLARS OF PROPRIETY STOOD IMPASSIVELY BY, DNG FOR THE ROLE OF PONTI PILATE. ONE OF THE FOUNRS OF GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS, KRAMER WAS AT THE EPICENTER OF THE ENGULFMENT, SOUNDG THE LOUST ALARM OVER THE DIRE NSEQUENC OF NIALISM. OTED OM G.M.H.C. FOR BEG SUCH A FEROCLY OUTSPOKEN AND TEMPERAMENTALLY DISPTIVE LONE RANGER, KRAMER WROTE THE NORMAL HEART WH THE URGENCY OF AN AMBULANCE SIREN AND THE WRATH OF A LN. THE PLAY DIDN’T ALLEGORIZE THE SUATN. IT BLASTED THE RAFTERS, POTED FGERS, AND NAMED NAM, MOST EXRIATGLY THAT OF THEN MAYOR ED KOCH, WHO WAS WILY ASSUMED THE GAY MUNY TO BE A CLOSET HOMOSEXUAL, A CRAVEN IMPOSTOR. (WHEN AN AI THE NORMAL HEART SISTS, “THE MAYOR IS NOT GAY,” THE REJOR IS “OH, E ON, BLANCHE.”) THE PADDY CHAYEFSKYAN HUMANISM, RHETORIL BLAMMO, BRISTLG NERV, AND SIEGE MENTALY KRAMER’S PLAY ARGUABLY HOLD UP BETTER THAN THE MAGIC REALISM OF TONY KHNER’S ANGELS AMERI (WHICH HBO MOUNTED ON-SCREEN 2003, DIRECTED BY MIKE NICHOLS), AND RYAN MURPHY’S VERSN LIVERS THE SHOCK WAV, THE DIATRIB, AND THE TEARS. THAT HBO’S PRODUCTN OF THE NORMAL HEART FOLLOWS SO SOON ON THE BOOT HEELS OF DALLAS BUYERS CLUB SUGGTS THAT THE AIDS NIGHTMARE REF TO RT THE AMNIAC FOG TO WHICH AMERI NSIGNS S SHAMEFUL CHAPTERS. THE DUTY TO THE AD REQUIR OUR ATTENTN, AND THE ARE FET-ME-NOTS THAT GO OFF LIKE HAND GRENAS.FOR THOSE WHO WERE AROUND AND MORALLY AWAKE THROUGH THOSE YEARS AND THE AFTERMATH, THERE IS A SENSE THAT THE AIDS VASTATN HAS EVAPORATED CULTURAL MEMORY, THE PERD SANIZED AND NOSTALGIFIED BY JOHN HUGH G-OF-AGERS (THE BREAKFAST CLUB), DYNASTY SHOULR PADS, AND THE BOLIVIAN-MARCHG-POWR BENRS OF BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CY. HARROWG, HEARTBREAKG FILMS, NOVELS, AND MEMOIRS TTIFIED TO THE TRAGEDY AS UNFOLD, OM THE TV DRAMA AN EARLY FROST AND FILMS SUCH AS PARTG GLANC, LONGTIME COMPANN (WHICH STILL HOLDS UP BETIFULLY), AND PHILALPHIA TO RANDY SHILTS’S VTIGATIVE MASTERWORK AND THE BAND PLAYED ON (TURNED TO AN HBO FILM 1993), PL MOTE’S MEMOIR BORROWED TIME, DAVID WOJNAROWICZ’S SAY LLECTN CLOSE TO THE KNIV, SAN SONTAG’S SHORT STORY “THE WAY WE LIVE NOW,” AND THE “MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH” CHAPTER TOM WOLFE’S NOVEL THE BONFIRE OF THE VANI. BUT A SYLLAB IS NO SUBSTUTE FOR AN ACTIVE, ENGAGED AWARENS, AND AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT LOOKED AWAY AS LONG AS ULD DURG THE AIDS EPIMIC LOOKS BACK AS SELDOM AS POSSIBLE, THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND THE GLASS-TOWER PROSPERY OF THE REAL-TATE BOOM BANISHG THE TRMA TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF MEMORATN. MANHATTAN HAS BEE SO EXPENSIVE A PROPOSN THAT EVEN S GHOSTS HAVE BEEN PRICED OUT OF THEIR HNTG PLAC. IN “THE GENTRIFITN OF AIDS,” CLUD HER SLIM, ELEGIAC LLECTN THE GENTRIFITN OF THE MD: WNS TO A LOST IMAGATN, PLAYWRIGHT-NOVELIST-SAYIST-ACTIVIST SARAH SCHULMAN NTRASTS THE MAGNU OF LOSS OM “1981 TO 1996, WHEN THERE WAS A MASS ATH EXPERIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE,” WH THE MCULE TRACE RIDUE LEFT ON THE NSCIENCE AND NSCNS OF SO MANY SURVIVORS AND THOSE WHO ME AFTER. “THEIR ABSENCE IS NOT PUTED AND THE MEANG OF THEIR LOSS IS NOT NSIRED.” SHE NTRASTS THE SUALTY TOLL OF AIDS—“81,542 PEOPLE … DIED OF AIDS NEW YORK CY AS OF AUGT 16, 2008”—WH THE MOURNG AND AVENGG OF THE “2,752 PEOPLE [WHO] DIED NEW YORK CY ON 9/11.” “THE DISALLOWED GRIEF OF TWENTY YEARS OF AIDS ATHS WAS REPLACED BY RUALIZED AND STUTNALIZED MOURNG OF THE ACCEPTABLE AD,” SHE ARGU. A FREEDOM TOWER POK THE SKY OM LOWER MANHATTAN, BUT THE AIDS AD, THOUGH FAR GREATER NUMBER, HAVE NO MEMORIAL, THEIR NAM UNRERD ON ANY WALL OR ALONG ANY REFLECTG POOL.AS A HCHCK FILM, THE HORROR THE NORMAL HEART TRODUC SELF NOCENT DAYLIGHT. NETEEN EIGHTY-ONE. THE FIRE ISLAND FERRY BOARDS AND THE SCREEN BULG AND GLISTENS WH BUFF, BRONZED BODI EXALTG LIBERTY LIKE SAILORS ON SHORE LEAVE. ONLY NED WEEKS (RUFFALO) SEEMS LS THAN STTTG PROUD OF HIS PHYSIQUE, SELF-NSCLY TUGGG HIS SHIRT AS IF HIS ABS WEREN’T QUE READY FOR SPECTN. HE DON’T OWN THE NER POUNCE OF A TE PAGAN. HE’S RELUCTANT TO TAKE THE NTEA PLUNGE TO THE BIG BOPPG PARTY ON THE BEACH, AND HE’S BRIEFLY ARRTED (AS WHO WOULDN’T BE?) BY THE SPECTACLE OF FOUR MEN NJOED A CLTER-HUMP UNR THE TRE, AS IF FORMG A MYTHOLOGIL BEAST. THE BELL TOLL THAT SOUNDS THAT CLOSG TIME PARADISE IS THE TELLTALE UGH OF A YOUNG MAN WHO LLAPS ON THE SAND, THE OVERHEAD MERA ANGLE SIGNALG S PORTENTONS. THAT UGH IS LIKE THE FIRST SHOT HEARD A WAR, THE CUE FOR THE ASSLT WAV TO E CRASHG. THE NORMAL HEART IMMERS THE VIEWER HOW FAST AND OVERWHELMGLY EVERYTHG ME TO A FEVERISH SIEGE FOR THE GAY MUNY. COUGHS THAT MIGHT BE SHGGED OFF AS A TOUCH OF FLU EPEN TO RACKG NVULSNS, AND MANY WHO WERE STRAPPG F OR ELEGANTLY SLENR ONLY A FEW WEEKS EARLIER BEE EMACIATED, PALE, VERED WH SOR, TREMBLG, TERRIFIED, OSTRACIZED, NEGLECTED, REJECTED, BEDRIDN, THEN GONE. SO MANY GONE THAT ’S HARD TO KEEP TRACK. IN THE NORMAL HEART, JIM PARSONS PLAYS A G.M.H.C. ACTIVIST WHO, AFTER GETTG WORD OF THE ATH OF A IEND OR NTACT OM AIDS, REMOV THE VICTIM’S RD OM HIS ROLOX AND KEEPS THE ACCUMULATG RDS OF THE AD HIS SK, HIS WAY OF HONORG THEIR NAM. HE’S TERRIFIC THE FILM, AS ARE JULIA ROBERTS, DYNAMIZED AS SHE WHIZZ AROUND HER WHEELCHAIR WH THE OFFIC DISPATCH OF A DOCTOR WHO DON’T HAVE AN IDLE OR IVOLO MOMENT TO SPARE FOR OBSTCTNIST FOOLS (SHE WIELDS HER SWL LIKE A WEED WHACKER), AND MARK RUFFALO, THE TRICKY ROLE OF LARRY KRAMER’S MOUTHPIECE AND STAND-, WHO N KILL A PARTY WH HIS RIGHTEO FERVOR FASTER THAN BARBRA STREISAND THE WAY WE WERE AND, AS HIS TRATN LAT, HECTORS BOTH IENDS AND FO LIKE A BURNG PROPHET, YET REMAS VULNERABLE, SYMPATHETIC, THE SERVG FOL POT. HIS TACTICS MAY BE MISTAKEN SOMETIM AND HIS MANNERS LACKG, BUT HE SE THE MAGNU OF THE AIDS CRISIS TAKG MONSTRO FORM, FUELED BY FEAR AND HATRED OF HOMOSEXUALS AND OTHER MORI. THEY WANT AD IS THE PROTAGONIST’S PRIMAL SCREAM. ALTHOUGH THE DIS SELECTNS ON S SOUNDTRACK AREN’T THE MOST ORIGAL, THE NORMAL HEART IS VERY GOOD AT RE-CREATG THE GBBY GREENWICH VILLAGE VALY AND DISREPAIR OF MANHATTAN’S LAST BOHEMIAN HURRAH, THE LOPSID MOUNDS OF UNLLECTED GARBAGE THE STREET, THE QUARRELSOME MEETGS HOT ROOMS WHERE THE FANS DO LTLE GOOD AND EVERYONE’S IRRABLE AND SARSTIC, THE HOSPAL WARDS WHERE AIDS PATIENTS ARE TREATED AS LEPERS AND THAT HAVE ALL THE CHARM OF IRON CURTA PRISONS. WHY THIS, WHY NOW? BEE AS THE S PASS WE ARE DANGER OF FETTG FOREVER WHAT WENT DOWN. NOTHG DONE NOW N MAKE UP FOR WHAT WASN’T DONE THEN, BUT THE NORMAL HEART, LIKE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, REMDS THAT THIS IS HOW WENT DOWN THAT REAGAN ERA SO MANY OF OUR SOFTER MDS STILL WANT TO REMEMBER AND CHERISH AS A BETIFUL PATED SUNSET.MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERPRCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE’S HEART OF INVICT NETFLIX DOC GETS A TRAILER AND RELEASE DATEBY KASE WICKMANJAM WOLTT

The monologue that had the greatt impact on me was the one by Mickey as I disagreed wh his moral posn the most: Mickey sisted that bee spe the growg evince that gay men are beg killed off by the still-unnamed vis, the GMHC did not have the right to tell the muny to stop havg sex.

THE NORMAL HEART: ONE OF TV'S BT PORTRAYALS OF GAY ROMANCE, EVER

At least that was what I thought until Mickey revealed what he was tly ightened about: to be thought of as a murrer, that everythg he fought for, such as the sexual liberatn of gay men, abetted the murr of his iends. But what stck me the most is the irony that I vilified him the begng simply bee he thought differently — that perhaps I am the juvenile one to thk that there is a sgular and moral way to live as a gay man.

As gay men, we grow up a culture where we are held to a higher moral standard. To try to answer the qutn of what mak a moral gay man, I uld have waxed lyril about what so-and-so philosopher said.

Instead, the answer to the qutn posed at the begng of this piece, of how to be a moral gay man, might be acceptg that we will never know what is the right thg to do — that not knowg n be productive too.