I moved to New York in 1979 just before my18th birthday. Of my close friends at NYU, more than half of them had died from AIDS by 1990. I remember the fear of the early 1980s. I remember the feeling of having dinner with a friend and running into someone I hadn’t seen and the light would rack across their face and my heart just sank—you knew. They looked fine but there was something. There was something in their eyes. There was something about the look on their faces that told you that the next time you saw them they wouldn’t look as well. … Today’s generation of young adults have never known the ravages of AIDS as some of us have and for that reason, in some cases, they have let down their guard. We cannot let down our guard.”
— Designer Tom Ford, while accepting the Award of Inspiration at amfAR Inspiration Gala last night in Los Angeles
H/t E! Online
Cam
I can’t imagine what that generation went through. Having an address book full of the crossed out names of dead friends, and having been to dozens of funerals before you turn 30 all of people you were friends with.
It’s like they went through a war.
marc sfe
@Cam: It was a war Cam. I’ll never forget it as long as I live.
QJ201
I started hitting gay bars at the age of 18 in the early 80s and slowly watched people disappear. Luckily an older bartender warned me “You’re a twink, they are all gonna be after your ass, don’t let them have it”
he was right, I didn’t and avoided getting infected
DarkZephyr
@marc sfe: @QJ201: I am glad that the two of you are alive today. I was just a child when all of this was going on (I am 37) and so for me the 80s were a beautiful time to be alive. I was totally shielded from the horrors my older brothers had to endure. I had heard of AIDS but it was just an abstract thing, that when mentioned, was talked about amongst us kids almost like Bloody Mary or the Boogeyman, but not something that I truly feared or had to experience. I have since read about it and watched documentaries about it, including one that had me crying called “We Were Here” and I am so very glad that I watched that, as heart wrenching as it was.
throwslikeagirl
It indeed was a war, and still is a war. The heartbreaking fight is far from over. We must never forget what the first unspeakably devastating onslaught was like, but we also shouldn’t forget the plague is still with us.
Harley
Half? Is that all. He got out lucky. I lost nearly ALL of my closest friends. And I lived in west Texas during the 80s. To see all of my closest friend start wasting away and spend nearly all their final weeks looking like concentration camp survivors. The only reason I didn’t catch it was I didn’t like anal. Was always uncomfortable. And also having to put up with “xtians” claiming it was gods punishment on homosexuals. I guess god loves lesbians cause they by and large avoided it but were always there to help out and fight for us.
jason smeds
In the West, AIDS amongst gay men was the result of concentration. By concentration, I mean the development of gay enclaves where men concentrated their sexual activity and promiscuity within a very small number of locations. Concentration leads to a loss of herd immunity by creating a cascade effect.
Believe me, AIDS has got nothing to do with “being” gay but everything to do with the nature of the social scene that was created to cater to men who seek sex with men. They gay scene gave us comfort but it also gave us concentration and its resultant lethal effect.
DerekR
@jason smeds: From the man who believes HIV doesn’t cause AIDS rather poppers, poor diet and lack of sleep causes AIDS. Also that everyone taking meds should stop immediately because medication does nothing except line the pocket of pharmaceutical big wigs.
Jason (nice to see you’ve returned to your original AIDS denier screen name) please do the world a favor and suck on a shotgun. You are a horrible person and you are also crazier than a sh!t house rat.
ted72
How many lives must this disease claim before we find a cure or a vaccine?
PSPoolside
@Cam: It was an extraordinary time that was full of loss and fear. Learning to plan a funeral at 24 was something I had never envisioned but that’s just one of the surprises of life. As bad as it was, and it was bad, it was also exhilarating to feel part of a community, including our lesbian sisters, that accepted the challenge and grew, matured. While we lost many friends we also made new friends and formed families along the way that will be with us forever. Today, at 60, I’m married to a great man and as happy as I was once sad. Life is a wonderful gift.
Stache99
@DarkZephyr:”We were here” was the best documentary IMO then others that had allot more press. Anyone wanting to know how it really was just watch it. It’s on Netflix.
Stache99
@DerekR: Ha. I wasn’t going to say anything as long as he didn’t go into his crazy HIV denial BS and try to influence others. However, as you’ve pointed out it’s just beneath the surface with his new screen name. Suck on a shotgun. LMAO.
TrueWords
Why There’s No HIV Cure Yet
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/missing-hiv-cure/
Stache99
@TrueWords: Well, there are certain cure’s like bone marrow transplants with donors with a HIV resistant mutation ie the CCR5 gene.
The trick is developing anti latency drugs or drugs that mimic the CCR5 gene where the white blood cells are immune to HIV.
Stache99
@TrueWords: Thanks for providing that though. It explains why we had all those too soon false promises.
lcandela123
It was a horrible time. I lost two ex-boyfriends, my best friend, and about 50 other friends before I stopped counting. Then, the life-saving drugs became available, so it stopped, thankfully.
Mack
I too lived through that era. And lot of the deaths could have been prevented had we someone other than the imbecile in the White House. Today’s Republicans are screaming bloody murder over Ebola and only ONE DEATH in the US with it. But then it was the “gay disease” so they didn’t care. We have an election on Tuesday if you vote for a Republican then you don’t really care about gay life.
Andrew Yang
My heart breaks every time I hear the stories of the 80s and HIV/AIDS. I am not sure how I would have been affected if I lived it. I am happy all you guys who survived it are here with us to share your experience and wisdom. For those who died, I hope we find a way not to forget them and how they fought. Love you guys and thanks!!!
scotshot
@TrueWords: @Stache99: A very good friend of mine takes truvada and he has NO detectable virus. That sounds like a cure to me.
I suffered from Hepatitus C and would certainly be dead today if not for a liver transplant, I still had the virus though which attacked my new liver which would mean a second transplant. I went through a couple of therapies that failed – including Interferon. I finished a new therapy this year and Hep C is now undetectable in my system. If a blood test in december still shows 0, count, I will be officially be cured.
Some people will not have the same results I did, but a 90-95 present cure rate is pretty damn good.
A large percentage of people carry HIV and Hep C and don’t know it. Many of them will die and also infect others. Get your blood tested tomorrow and take charge of your health and life.
A note to tops who think they have no chance of getting HIV or Hep C – get tested! They are many, many ways to get either.
money718
@TrueWords: “Currently, even in the U.S., only 25% of HIV-positive people have their viral levels adequately suppressed by treatment.”
Wow
Saint Law
@jason smeds: Taking odds now whether come the day the FBI dig up ‘Jason’s’ patio they’ll find the torsos of gay men or straight women.
Hard to say: he seems to hate and fear both equally.
Cam
@PSPoolside: said…. “Today, at 60, I’m married to a great man and as happy as I was once sad. Life is a wonderful gift.”
___________________________
I’m going to remember what you wrote there anytime I have a bad day. If you have that wonderful attitude after what you went through, it’s inspirational. 🙂
Stache99
@scotshot: Good for your friend. However, a cure is stopping all medicine and 6 months later still remain negative.
Our white blood cells have a memory which ensures immunity to future re-infections. Unfortunately this system keeps a very small amount of undetectable latent virus that will start everything back up if not continually suppressed.
scotshot
@Stache99: I obviously didn’t Google and relied on hearsay. True it’s not a cure, but for an HIV+ individual it can be literally lifesaving. For HIV- individuals it will reduce chance of infection drastically. It will not prevent infection from other STDs.
Either of these treatments are not guaranteed to “cure”, (in my case, yes, I am cured of Hep C, 5-10% of people receiving the treatment will not be cured) and there are and there can be serious side effects.
Thanks for the heads up.
Stache99
@scotshot:Absolutely and in a way your friend is cured. He’s alive and he’s healthy.
Congrads on your success too. Wow. Can’t even imagine but you did it. I’ve had Hepatitis B. It’s not chronic but your story reminds me that I need to take better care of my liver ie allot less drinking.
jason smeds
I’m trying to save lives. A lot of gay men don’t want to admit that it’s the gay social scene which created the conditions for the deaths of many gay men. Yes, the gay scene can be a lot of fun. However, it can also be lethal. That which gave us comfort also gave us a crisis.
Whenever you concentrate human beings and their sexual activity in a small number of locations, it results in the loss of herd immunity. STD’s will run rampant through such settings. Don’t deny it.
Mykaels
I am only 36. I was 17 and a senior in high school in 1995 and had lost 16 friends to AIDS in West Texas. I got to see the horrors of dying of AIDS, the horrors of HIV medication side effects, and live in a population that still believes it is gods wrath against the gays.
I do not ‘hook up’, never have. I will not have unprotected sex (despite all these activists pushing prep down our throats because “we all have unprotected sex cause it feels better and we wont admit it”). If I go to the bars, I make sure I have a friend that prevents me from going home with someone drunk. I will never park in an unlit parking lot or street because I have been attacked (and successfully defended myself) three times.
It was a war, and many people did not survive it, either dying of aids, dying from gay bashing, or dying of suicide cause they could not take it. People over 30 are survivors.
But I am not jealous, angry, or bitter. I am not jealous of younger folks better relationships and attitudes towards their family, friends, or community. I am not angry or feel cheated that I was deprived a better, more accepting society when I was a teen. I am not bitter that young people do not fully comprehend the history, the pain, and the hardships of their forefathers.
Quite the contrary, I am relieved.
vive
@Mykaels: “I am not angry or feel cheated that I was deprived a better, more accepting society when I was a teen.”
Well, it’s not a matter of “feeling” cheated. We WERE cheated, by social attitudes and by AIDS, and it is okay to be angry. However, I agree with you in the sense that it doesn’t do any good to dwell on it.
talha
From the last 15 years research in HIV/AIDS have been moving at a fast pace. Today, we have identified a lot of different things about the HIV virus and the research and knowledge is constantly advancing with a steady increase in the speed. However, for now there is still no effective or proven cure for HIV/AIDS. Till date, no vaccine has been developed that is scientifically proven to cure HIV/AIDS.
Scientists are constantly researching about the HIV virus in order to find out a cure for this disastrous virus. Although they haven’t yet found a reliable cure but there are many medications and treatments available to improve the quality of life of people suffering from HIV/AIDS.
These medications and treatments for HIV/AIDS are more than successful. By taking these treatments the life expectancy of the people suffering from this disease has been increased enormously. An interesting fact is that there have been cases where the bodies of the infected peoples were able to suppress the virus permanently. These people are referred to as elite controllers.To know more visit http://healthdocpoint.com/hivaids-testing-and-treatment-curing-hivaids
talha
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