I'm not the only one to make the connection between how gay men were forced to be, AIDS, and society's disapproval of homosexuality. Here's what Douglas Todd, The Vancouver Sun's columnist on all matters related to spirituality, had to say on the subject in a recent article:
Gary was one of the early ones to die as a result of unprotected sex that many closeted gays of his era [the 1970s and '80s] had in bathhouses and steambaths. Socially approved homosexual relationships were then not an option.
(From "AIDS progress came only through suffering," Douglas Todd, The Vancouver Sun, Monday, November 25, 2013, p. A4.)
You can decide for yourself how much society then was to blame for the tragic and useless deaths of tens of thousands of young, talented gay men, who died from AIDS. Who knows how much better off we might be today if they'd lived?
The following comment was received from Aaron. I've presented his comment in this way in order to eliminate the hyperlink attached to his name.
ReplyDeleteI think society has everything to do with how many men and other people died of AIDS in the past, and present. "Society" is this not so benign entity that dictates how everyone should look, behave, be. Our "society" is to blame for a lot of untruths and should be held accountable through the media that spawns this garbage about a lot of things including Aids and the people affected by it.
I couldn't agree more, Aaron.
DeleteThis past weekend, I read in a "Vancouver Sun" article on AIDS that, in the opinion of a doctor who's spent his entire medical career working with those who have the disease, society has essentially decided people with AIDS, including drug users, prostitutes, the homeless, and homosexuals, are getting what they deserve. So a moral judgment has been brought against them/us, and the funding continues, to this day, to be sorely lacking.
The way I look at it is, in Canada at least, gay marriage may be legal. But the fact that the Canadian government under-funds research in AIDS shows how it feels about those who have been traditionally marginalized. As the doctor points out, it's a very different story when we're talking about such illnesses as breast cancer or heart disease.
Thanks for your interest in my blog and for your comment. I appreciate it.