Knowledge is power: If we learned anythg the gay male muny durg the early days of the HIV/AIDS epimic the Uned Stat, was that. No one knew what had h , and people were dyg huge numbers all around . The muny lost iends, lleagu, and timate partners. Inially mislabeled gay-related immune ficiency (GRID), valuable time was lost rpondg to the crisis bee most felt safe the belief that they were not at risk. Sce early victims were predomantly gay men, the stigma attached to homosexualy the medil, erng, law enforcement and eccliastil stutns beme a barrier to unrstandg, preventn, and treatment.
Contents:
- HIV IS A STORY FIRST WRTEN ON THE BODI OF GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
- HIV/AIDS AND EDUTN: LSONS OM THE 1980S AND THE GAY MALE COMMUNY THE UNED STAT
HIV IS A STORY FIRST WRTEN ON THE BODI OF GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
The high percentage of gay and bisexual men who are livg wh HIV means that, as a group, they have a greater risk of beg exposed to HIV; browse lks here. * hiv gay history *
Gay and bisexual men n take the followg steps to rce their risk of HIV fectn:. It was noted early on that young gay men were most likely to receive an HIV diagnosis; a sendary populatn of needle-g dg abers was quickly intified as an at-risk patient group.
Given the soclogil parameters of known HIV patients 1982, early scientists labeled the group of mystery illns as a gay-related immune ficiency, gay ncer or muny-acquired immune dysfunctn. Dg ers and homosexuals bore the bnt of the discrimatn. In one natnal broadst, televangelist Jerry Falwell echoed the sentiments of some nservative Amerins by clarg God had sent AIDS as retributn for the ss of dg g and gay muni.
Bathho and clubs terg to gay clientele were closed down, and law enforcement personnel were issued glov and masks to protect them agast potential exposure. In most of Ai, public opn was backed by the learship of Ain policians who refed to acknowledge the existence of sex between men, let alone a health crisis that affected a natn's homosexual populatn. In many untri, homosexualy was and still is a crimal act; was not unmon for early AIDS activists to end up jail.
HIV/AIDS AND EDUTN: LSONS OM THE 1980S AND THE GAY MALE COMMUNY THE UNED STAT
In untri where the gay social work operated unrground, reachg the populatn wh lifavg tn and antiretrovirals was near impossible.