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
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