RECENT television coverage of HIV and Aids has generally been sympathetic. This is obviously a positive shift - no longer the gay plague', more a disease with 'victims' who deserve ympathy and support.
There is a catch noweyer. While HIV and AIDS are used less to stoke up homophobia, they are now presented as if they were of no concern to the lesbian and gay community. A recent television programme, AIDS in the Family, for example, didn't mention that gay men constitute the largest group of people with AIDS and there was an implicit denial- by omission that gays have families or close relationships.
In this context the Birmingham group RECLAIM organised Altered Images, a conference on HIV on May 11. Peter Redman, one of the organisers said, 'We have seen an increas ing bureaucratisation of HIV, with public professional:
aking over and virtually ex cluding the most affected communities from having the power to control how it is dealt with. This has been coupled with the de-gaying of HIV, so that now the fact that it is of major concern in the gay community is almost ignored in public representations. We called the Altered Images conference, in part, to contest these new images - which are just as wrong as the old ones of the gay plague' With speakers like Simon Watney (producer of Red, Hot and Blue), Peter Tatchell and artist and activist Sunil Gupta, it drew people from all over England. While many were professional and volunteer workers in HIV and AIDS education and prevention, there were many community activists present.
The left has not made HIV and AIDS a major issue in the past. It is time that this changed.
prevention of HIV and AIDS and caring for people with AIDS is a major concern for thousands. Many are discriminated against in various ways -from housing and health care provision to the way HIV and AIDS is dealt with in education. People deemed to be in 'high risk' (a misnomer, be cause there are no high risk groups, only high risk activities) cannot get life assurance. GPs cannot always be counted on not to inform insurance comnantac when atients take HIV antibody tests. The only time homosexuality is mentioned in the education of most children, is with reference to HIV and AIDS.
The left cannot collude with this by maintaining silence. AIDS is a political issue, which must be taken seriously. The time for action is now!
No. 2