1980s. HIV/AIDS: Why was AIDS lled ‘the gay plague’? - Gay the 80s

Contents:

• GAY-RELATED IMMUNE FICIENCY
• 1980S. HIV/AIDS: WHY WAS AIDS LLED ‘THE GAY PLAGUE’?
• GRID (GAY-RELATED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY)
• GAY-RELATED IMMUNE FICIENCY

GAY-RELATED IMMUNE FICIENCY

ASERIOUS disorr of the immune system that has been known to doctors for ls than a year - a disorr that appears to affect primarily male homosexuals - has now afflicted at least 335 people, of whom has killed 136, officials of the Centers for Disease Control Atlanta said yterday. Feral health officials are ncerned that tens of thoands more homosexual men may be silently affected and therefore vulnerable to potentially grave ailments.

D., for acquired immunoficiency disease, or GRID, for gay-related immunoficiency.

But most s have occurred among homosexual men, particular those who have had numero sexual partners, often anonymo partners whose inty remas unknown. '' Prelimary rults of immunologil tts have led some Feral health officials to fear that tens of thoands of homosexual men may have the acquired immune dysfunctn and be at risk for velopg plitns such as Kaposi's ncer, fectns and other disorrs at some future is ''a matter of urgent public health and scientific importance, '' Dr.

1980S. HIV/AIDS: WHY WAS AIDS LLED ‘THE GAY PLAGUE’?

Epimlogists om the Centers for Disease Control have done studi among homosexual men wh and whout the immune disorr but matched age, background and other characteristics. After ttg for more than 130 potential risk factors, they found that the median number of lifetime male sexual partners for affected homosexual men was 1, 160, pared to 524 for male homosexual men who did not have the syndrome.

The ncer has not been lked to homosexuals Ai, and the reasons for s high equency there are s new form this untry, the urse of Kaposi's sara generally has been rapid and fatal. Given the fact that homosexualy is not new, the most puzzlg qutn is why the outbreak is occurrg now, and not sometime the past. Bee homosexuals affected by GRID have reported g nre dgs more equently than homosexuals who have not, some studi have foced on this class of dgs, which have e to wispread street e sce the 1960's, But although epimlogil studi have not ''totally exonerated nr, the scientific evince to implite them is que shaky, '' acrdg to Dr.

Mass, a New York Cy physician, said that ''gay people whose life style nsists of anonymo sexual enunters are gog to have to do some ser rethkg. ''A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn C, Page 1 of the Natnal edn wh the headle: NEW HOMOSEXUAL DISORDER WORRIES HEALTH OFFICIALS. Is 'GRID' (gay-related immune ficiency) a polilly rrect term for AIDS, or is offensive?

GRID (GAY-RELATED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY)

The reason for the name was that the disease started out homosexuals. Some say was created by the ernment, others say me om btialy, and others say was ma for fact of the matter is no matter s orig, is a ser issue velopg untri and homosexual muni due to unprotected sex and erotic sex.

You know, I bet if he wrapped up when he had gay anal sex he wouldn't have that damn thg right the GRID mug.

GAY-RELATED IMMUNE FICIENCY

Gay-related immune ficiency (GRID) (sometim rmally lled the gay plague or GRIDS) was the 1982 name first proposed to scribe what is now known as AIDS, after public health scientists noticed clters of Kaposi's sara and Pnmocystis pnmonia among gay mal Southern California and New York Cy.

Durg the early history of AIDS, an ad hoc anizatn lled Gay Men's Health Crisis was found to bat what appeared to be a homosexual-only disease produced by sexual promiscuy, traveno dg e, and/or age of poppers. In this new name, scientists were supported by polil figur who realized that the term "gay-related" did not accurately scribe the mographic that the disease affected. Durg the early 1980s, AIDS beme an ever-growg ncern the mds of Amerins, and brought to the fore the ep-seated tensns and homophobic tennci that plagued the natn’s media and polil stut.

” Bay Wdows: Boston’s Gay and Lbian Newspaper, June 1983, Archiv of Sexualy and Genr. Inially dubbed ‘GRID’ (Gay-Related Immune Disorr) wh scientific muni, AIDS was largely attributed – and some s blamed – on the gay male muny wh the US. This highlights the media’s reluctance to portray, and at tim liberate omissn of gay men om prs verage.

Pickg up on the ntrast, ngrsman Gerry Studds highlighted the difference between the portrayal of gay and non-gay sufferers of the disease. ” Gay Communy News, Augt 13, 1983, 2.

Negative media reportg around the AIDS crisis creased homophobia society. Wh media verage offerg such negative and slanro pictns of gay men wh society, is unsurprisg that this social group experienced creased homophobia related to the AIDS crisis. Homophobia would go on to encroach to the polics of the time as well.

Republin polician Jim Courter, for stance, exploed the AIDS crisis durg his mpaign; directly attackg the muny, and threateng to dismiss gay dividuals even if they did not have the disease.

What is most shockg was his abily to make such statements and actively promote discrimatn and prejudice official mpaigns, as dit the sheer lack of protective rights granted towards gay men at the time the US.

Even his rival, who challenged such statements, refed to make guarante to the gay mographic. “Homophobia Will Affect AIDS Policy. Many gay activists and prsure groups began to fear the repercsns of the crease homophobic polics and media, and worry about the impact would have on alg wh the AIDS crisis.

Jt as the media had been slow to rpond, the gay muny found ernment efforts (such as arrangg rearch fundg) were reluctant, layed and half-hearted.

In ncln, I believe the primary sourc show that the way sensatnalist elements wh the media reported on the 1980s AIDS crisis both highlighted and exacerbated toxic attus wh Amerin society towards the gay muny. Pri and Prott: LGBT+ Disabily Activism the US, 1985-1995The Lbian Avengers and the Importance of Intersectnaly LGBTQ+ ActivismLbians and Gays Support the MersFran Stevens and the History of Curve Magaze. Gay-related immune ficiency (GRID) was the origal name for a disease currently known as AIDS.

E., 1982–1985), the terms "gay ncer" and "gay plague" were also ed.

[6] The reason for the GRID-to-AIDS change nomenclature was the realizatn that the "gay" attributn did not fully enpass the mographics of the disease.