Gay Activism History Question

[ksmybuttons]

I'm a General Board poster. We've gotten into a political discussion regarding AIDS/HIV and Ronald Reagan's role in the whole thing, which then got my mind to thinking about AIDS and the role of Gay and Lesbian Activism and it's history. I did a little search, but also thought this might be a great place to get some information. So here are my questions:

Did the advent of AIDS/HIV have an impact on bringing the gay and lesbian population more into the cultural view?

Did it have an impact on mainstream appearing people coming out of the closet and acknowledging their sexual preference in their fight to be acknowledged?

Did it make it more or less difficult to be gay?

I appreciate help in my education!

 

[LarzMachine]

Did the advent of AIDS/HIV have an impact on bringing the gay and lesbian population more into the cultural view?

Yes, but not necessarily in a good way. The view to a LOT of people is that gays are solely responsible for the AIDS problem, and that if we were all executed, it would go away. This is new to me, since I was nearly infected with HIV by havings ex with a straight woman.

Did it have an impact on mainstream appearing people coming out of the closet and acknowledging their sexual preference in their fight to be acknowledged?

I'd say so. Seems like before the AIDS problem, "don't ask, don't tell" was truly a way of life, 'cause if you told, you were fucked. Now, you might be unpopular, but at least you can't get TOO screwed over legally anymore.

Did it make it more or less difficult to be gay?

Probably less. I'm in SoDak now, and it's like going back in time. Gay here are an endangered species -- I've had these hillbillies say queers have it great because it's now illegal to lynch us.

 

[Queersetti]

I'm a General Board poster. We've gotten into a political discussion regarding AIDS/HIV and Ronald Reagan's role in the whole thing, which then got my mind to thinking about AIDS and the role of Gay and Lesbian Activism and it's history. I did a little search, but also thought this might be a great place to get some information. So here are my questions:

Did the advent of AIDS/HIV have an impact on bringing the gay and lesbian population more into the cultural view?

Did it have an impact on mainstream appearing people coming out of the closet and acknowledging their sexual preference in their fight to be acknowledged?

Did it make it more or less difficult to be gay?

I appreciate help in my education!

It certainly did have an impact, and as Larz said, not always in a positive way.

The overall effect on the community, in my opinion, was positive. Any time a group feels threatened, feelings of group identification tend to increase. The epidemic created a sense of urgency for many gays. Being closeted had always been a survival strategy, but suddenly, many came to believe that visibility was more vital, that remaining in hiding ran greater risks than coming out.

And it must be said that the outpouring of help and sympathy from many conscientious members of the larger community was a great encouragement. I think that the AIDS epidemic caused many straight to see gays in a compassionate light for the first time, or in many cases, to consider our existence at all.

In the short term, it made being gay, at least for men, more difficult. Many people insisted on blaming the victims for their affliction, and for a while, particularly in the early 80s, before the virus was identified, it was very difficult. remember that during that period, we did not know what was causing the disease, so naturally, fear levels ran high.

But in the long run, I do think it has had a positive effect on how gays are treated, and how we see ourselves in society. Most people are decent and compassionate. The epidemic made them see our common humanity as more important than our differences.

 

[ksmybuttons]

Thanks, Larz and Q.

In high school, I had no professed gay or lesbian friends. At my 20th high school reunion, I found out I had many gay and lesbian friends from that time period - the difference between 1972 and 1992.

I'm sure there were difficult issues during that time, but one of the things I had noticed is that a lot more people were stating they were gay and not in a negative or fearful way at all. In some cases, it put pressure on people to come out just so they could help in an activist role.

I admire the gay community on how they handled it. The other thread just made me look at how the government didn't handle it very well and wonder at what a difference it might have made had it intervened in a more proactive way earlier.

I guess it's not something we'll ever know since it didn't happen. This government seems to be even worse. 1/3 of all dollars being spent on HIV/AIDS are to be used to educate for abstinence. What a waste of money.

 

[ExistentialLuv]

Hello Buttons

To tell you the truth. One of the better threads about this subject was started by a fellow Rat Pack member. Forget his overall comment and get to the real issue and it is very good. I have posted a few links in the thread that might help answer your questions.

https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228723&highlight=aids

~Existential