Sunday 12:32:06
|
.....
2.
Once the biology of the disease was better understood, a few years after the outbreak of the epidemic, it became more evident that
|
|
|
The fact that the disease affected mostly gay men and was transmittted through sexual contact further stigmatized those infected with HIV, and by extension, the gay community, in general. Because of this "origin" and the socio-cultural and religious climate in the
AIDS, the "moral majority" and the Reagan administration. Unfortunately, the "wild fire" spread of the disease during the 1980's coincided also with the growing political power of the self-appointed Christian "moral majority" in the United States. To the latter group,
Social and religious conservatives, proclaiming themselves the "moral majority", used the looming threat of the
The inadequate or lack of response of the Reagan administration to the growing AIDS epidemic is a testament to the political clout of the self-appointed Christian "moral majority". There was no equivalent federally-funded "Star Wars" against the growing AIDS epidemic. In fact, the spectre of the growing AIDS epidemic was used to justify further discrimination of the gay community. Calls to "quarantine" those who were afflicted with AIDS were popular during the early stages of the AIDS epidemic.
To an extent, the so-called "moral majority" succeeded in their political campaign. During the early stage of the crisis, the American people turned their eyes from the looming
The aftermath of this politicization of AIDS and the apathy of the general public?
|
|
|
The "Gay Community". Historically, with a few exceptions, homosexuals have been marginalized or persecuted in many societies. The "Stonewall riots" in 1969 gave birth to a movement that started the political empowerment of homosexuals. What begun as a "disgruntled riot" in a gay bar in New York, soon gave birth to a "gay movement" that swept the world. Gone were the days of quiet submission to political persecution. It led to a "gay community" evolving its own culture and soon starting to flex its political muscle and have its voice heard. The movement however did not quell; in fact, it may have energized the "historical enemies" of the gay community.
After a decade of growth as a cultural and political community, the AIDS crisis was the most severe test that confronted the gay community. With no clear allies during the reign of the "moral majority" in the 1980's, the gay community launched its own grassroots campaign to confront growing AIDS epidemic within its own ranks. [Visit
The vigorous grassroots movements within the gay community led to a dramatic decline in new cases of AIDS and deaths due to AIDS-related illnesses among gay people. As important, the grassroots movements helped in the maturation of the gay community as a political and socio-cultural force.
In contrast, the absence of similar grassroots movements among other ethnic groups contributed to the significant changing demographics of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. [Visit
___________
Notes and Footnotes:
-
Untitled Click on Literature Sources to access the source of the information database, specified as superscript after each topic link. -
Untitled Unless otherwise specified, all the statistical AIDS data and resulting figures presented for the United States were from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC is the major US federal agency responsible for the surveillance and dissemination of information on HIV and AIDS in the United States. The various information databases created by CDC are integrated, along with other AIDS databases from other sources, in the A-Z navigation index of AIDS Primer.