SOUNDBITES — “They said I wouldn’t be here, but last Friday I celebrated my 50th birthday. A lot has changed since I announced. We now have a major problem in urban American, in inner cities — the face of AIDS has changed from a gay white man’s disease to a black and Latino disease. And if we don’t get the black church involved, there is no way we can bring these numbers [of new HIV cases] down.” —Former basketball pro Magic Johnson, speaking Sunday at the HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta [SoVo]
magic johnson
‘They said I wouldn’t be here, but last Friday I celebrated my 50th birthday’
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Qjersey
So now we are debating who “owns” HIV?
HIV in the US has ALWAYS been a gay male disease (50% of all infections) AND a disease of low income people of color.
But what Magic should have said and would be more accurate is that HIV has become more prevalent among gay/bi men of color and the black church’s homophobia has gotten in the way of reaching these men.
dgz
well, when you have a weak strain and the best care money can buy, i suppose you can be the posterboy for anything.
allstarecho
@dgz: I was going to say pretty much the same thing… at least the money part. Didn’t know about the weak strain.
James
Oh come on Qjersey. No one is debating that, and that wasn’t what Johnson was saying. A whole LOT has chaged since he made his announcement. And the black church needs to get involved.
There are lots of things you can say about Magic. Being a good advocate for the cause IS not one of them.
dgz
@allstarecho: i don’t know that for a fact, but i’m hypothesizing. it’s very likely he has a “weak” strain because otherwise… well, it’s a lot less likely he’d be looking so good. or so says my friend the MD.
James
Typing at work is always a problem. My last sentence is tortured. I meant to say Johnson is a good advocate. Excuse the the mangled syntax.