Have We Learned Nothing?

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic. What was once at the forefront of Gay Men’s Health initiatives has now settled into a worldwide threat to the underprivileged, and a strong threat to American Black Women. Medical advances have been considerable, but there is still no cure, and no vaccination. I must have been 9 or 10 when I first heard about it. My mother and I were watching Donahue and I had to ask her what a condom was. Now everyone in my circles knows all the basics. It’s transmitted sexually and through iv drug use. We know all the right steps to take to avoid risk. Most of us upper-class Jews have never met anyone with the disease. But those of us who grew up liberal and with a conscience are very much affected by the weight of it, and stay abreast of the progress.
And in a startling societal juxtaposition President Bush has urged congress to support the Marriage Protection Ammendment –which would ban gay marriage and is expected to be voted on this Wednesday. It doesn’t even feel real. I honestly do not understand how people can be so closed minded, and what exactly it is that so many fundamentalist Christians are afraid of. People need to mind their own business. I was thinking about that in a much smaller sense this afternoon, as I’ve been walking around with two not insignificant hickeys on my neck. The thing is, whether or not I have had someone sucking on my neck has no bearing on my job performance. There is nothing inherently inappropriate about walking around with blotches on ones neck. However we all take pains to cover them up, don’t we. I can’t very well wear a turtleneck in June. And a scarf wouldn’t work because the plane of the two marks is uneven. How does this relate? I guess I just feel like if people were better about minding their own business I wouldn’t have to keep pulling my hair over my shoulders. And two men or two women who love each other more deeply than I personally have ever experienced should have the opportunity to legally build a life together, and share assets, and be considered “family” or “spouse” in a hospital.