ju s t out
May, 1987
Vol. 4 No. 7
Co-Publishers
Renee LaChance and Jay Brown
Editor Jay Brown
Feature Editor w. c
McRae
Advertising Coordinator Jewel Murphy
Advertising Representatives
Julie Draper. Meg Grace, Jeff Fritz
Production Director
Renee LaChance
Creative Director
E. Ann Hinds
Production Assistants
Bev LaBelle
Graphic Inspiration
Rupert Kinnard
Contributors
Ben Merrill
Anita Quiton
Dr. Tantalus
Lee Lynch
Brady Jensen
Howie Baggadonutz
Ej Westlake
Billy Russo
Nancy R. Walseth
Steven Bailey
Karen Betsey
Meg Grace
Sandra De Helen
Eleanor Malin
Esther's Pantry Shopping C art Parade.
C O M M E N T A R
Precautions: Are they effective?
Are people substantially altering their lifetyles so that
society itself will not feel threatened?
Distribution Terri Redbird
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B Y
B E N
M E R R I L L
he real issue of AIDS prevention,
which was not addressed at the con
ference “ AIDS: The legal complex
ities of a national crisis,” but was very
much in evidence, really addresses itself to
those high risk communities who must ask
themselves: “ Given the fact that I either
know that I have been exposed to the virus
or that I stand a good chance of having
such a confirmation if I take the test, how
then shall I live?” This, of course, is the
underlying question.
Many at the conference expressed a
general optimism that persons in the high
risk categories were substantially chang
ing their lifestyle. Given the sociological
and legal arguments that the ultimate
guarantee of weakening the spread of the
virus lay only in a widespread effort at
educating the general population, the
question became, “ Are people in the high
risk groups substantially altering their life
styles so that society itself will not feel
T
GAHARTIC COMICS
threatened, and therefore take steps which
in other circumstances would be uncalled
for?” A New York magazine article of
March 23, 1987 raises pessimistic statis
tics showing that although the incidences
of rectal gonorrhea in a San Francisco
study group declined from a peak of 1500
in 1980 to less than 140 in 1986, the inci
dence of positive AIDS virus testing in the
same controlled group had gone from 35%
in 1980 to more than 70% in 1985; the
argument being that changing sexual prac
tices over that period of time failed io stem
the spread of exposure in San Francisco’s
homosexual community. If this is true,
then it can be predicted that in the foresee
able near future, the use of condoms alone
will not thwart the spread of positive test
ing for the AIDS virus in the high risk
communities. But so what? The issue is
not that more and more people are tested
and found to be infected, but if they are
infected will they be infectious? This is the
real question. What is on everybody’s
mind, but which nobody is willing to dis-
cuss. at least in an open forum and to
support with objective evidence, is what is
happening in the bedrooms of the com
munity — are people taking precautions?
It is clear that for those exposed to the
virus through intravenous drug use, soci
ety must take a new position, vis a vis the
drug-use community. It will no longer be
acceptable in a sociological and medical
sense to avoid dealing with the com
munity. Rather than simply ignoring it or
threatening it as criminal, other methods
are going to have to be devised. We have
not made a concerted effort to use the
resources of the community to educate the
drug community as to the spread of the
virus, and it would be safe to guess that
more homosexual men know of the virus,
its causes, and steps to be taken to avoid it
than persons in the drug community. Con
sequently, major efforts must be made in
that community if the window of “ oppor
tunity” is to be closed and the spread of
AIDS is to be discontinued.
The final issue, of course, is what hap
pens in front of the mirror? Do persons
in a high risk group admit to themselves
hat even though they may never exhibit
any signs of carrying the virus, even
'though they live a healthy lifestyle, even
though they do not develop any of the
symptoms of ARC such as weight loss,
night sweats, general fatigue, or other de
bilitating signs, are they prepared to alter
their lifestyles for the rest o f their life so as
not to take the life of a sexual partner for
granted? This dictates a reorientation and a
new perspective for thinking persons in
high risk groups. How do they look at their
sexual partner? Do they look at them in a
new light, one not of instantaneous and
momentary sexual gratification, but as one
whose life they share and ultimately
become responsible for? Until these ques
tions are asked, and until a new definition
of intimacy among high risk persons be
gins to take shape and is discussed in a
much wider community, questions of indi
vidual responsibility versus precautionary
steps taken by the state will continue to
haunt us as individuals, as members of the
community, and as brothers and sisters
together.
Ed. note: Ben Merrill was invited to the
N. Y. Bar Association Conference on AIDS
to represent lawyers who represent a large
gay client base. His attendance aided con
ference participants in understanding the
everyday impact on persons with AIDS. •
F e a tu r in g
^
T H E B R O W N B O M B E R & DIVA T O U C H E F L A M B É
BY RUPERT KINNARD
HOW THtS MACHINE LOW ERS OUR
CAPACITY FOR COMMON
AND INCREASES OUR U N IQ U E
IN T E L L E C T U A L W AY OF SEEIA/Cr
THE WORLD.
Just Out. 3, May. m i
V