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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 13, 1995)
With AIDS, Louganis loses support Keith Qunnmgnam The gem-studded. red rib bon* were in full view for (he world to see The glitzy smiles seemed to indicate concern for (he victims of the deadly disease. In fact, many touted the Oscars of last March as a turning point in AIDS awareness Never before had a main stream motion picture boon rec ognized for dealing with the subject of AIDS ami homosexu ality Vet there was Tom Hanks accepting the best actor award for his performance as a gay man dying from AIDS in Philadel phia. The way Hanks was embraced hope in many minds that per haps the victims of AIDS would ties — the deadly disease and the stigma placed upon those suffering from it. Sadly, one year later, that spark of hope has quickly been dimmed by the storm of con demnation that h e. (alien upon Olympic swimmer Greg l-Oligan is following his admission that he contracted HIV through homosexual contact Quite sim ply. once the idealized Hanks was replaced by the real-life pain of the "fallen" gay < hampi on, the gem-studded ribbons lost their luster. The criticism Louganis has incurred must tie understood in the light of the (act that I-ougan is is homosexual. The criticism and the lifestyle are powerfully interdependent elements that are indicative of a society that is hopelessly obsessed with sepa rating the innocent victims of AIDS from the "guilty." The attack on Louganis is cen tered around o cut he acquired while diving in the 1U8H Olympics In Seoul, Louganis sought to do what no other div er before him had done — win back-to-back Olympic gold medal* in both diving competi tion*. However, during the springboard preliminaries it appeared Louganis attempt at Olympic immortality was over when his head slammed into the board, spilling what we now know was tainted blood Longa nis' critic* claim he should have informed the Olympic. Commit tee that he was HIV-positive Louganis defends his silern e by stating that diving is a non-con tact sport and making such an announcement would have thrown the competition into a frenzy Five minutes and several stitches later, l-migam* returned to the competition and complet ed a nearly jierfecl 2 1/2 flip that advanced him to the finals Less than 2-t hours later, he i aptured the coveted gold hy brilliantly executing what was called the "Diva of Death" bei a use it had previously killed two other divers The event went down as one of the most dramatic come backs in Olympic history and the champion Lou gams was soon known is the greatest div - er ever It was not known then the incredible weight Louganis was carry mg with him as he climbed the Olympic tower He bad been, informed just six months earlier that he was HIV-positive. He was taking A/.T every four hours around the clock and practicing fervently with the knowledge that this Olympics would bo his last competition. In a recent interview. Louga nis reflected on his triumph say ing, "A lot of people saw me at the Olympics and they were cheering for me " Now. with Louganis facing the greatest competition of his life, the cheers have turned to silence The gleaming fans are now scornful critics. The most overt level of this attack is evident in the type of story the press has chosen to portray. The fact that Louganis' image is denigrated by the cur To them, you are no longer the champi on ihrv loved You are some how different. rent minim fix us on his nondis closure Soon I is directly < on tun ted to Lougnms' homosexu ality We Mnhrik isl ih*' eternally stud Maj when he disclosed he had acquired HIV from irresponsible sexual escapades We cried for 1 fori ed to tell the world he had become HIV positive from .1 blood transfusion. For the gay diver we shed no tears but devalue his life tn a rush for judgment. The critics argue that t.ougan ix was irresponsible both in his lifestyle choice and in his silence at the Olympics Vet the inconsistent treatment of l.oogic nts compared with Johnson's indicates the true root of this criticism. There is one key dif ference between Johnson and louganis Johnson was hetero sexual Dear (.reg. You know better than to expect the same adulation Try not to think about the i beers of Seoul or the acclaim of l.os Angeles As your body !*»ginx to fail and your hair turns a lifeless tune, don't look bn k on the day when you were symmetrically perfect and at the [leak of phys ical being Once you fall into that physical state where every day becomes a chore, please don't expxw t to ns tuve their get well cards Expect the anger and judgment that kept you silent for so many years You are right, this should be the time when they cheer for you the loudest They aren't To them, you are no longer the champion they loved You are now somehow different Keith Cunningham is an English major at the University great scores... Kaplan hflipi you locus you* ttys’ prop SllKfy ^ yXHi nSSd ! rfKMtt. 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