Saturday, February 13, 2010

( 4)Politics of GRID - HIV/AIDS: The Gay Battle for Social Reorganization of America

It was 1981. Dr. Jeffrey Satinover braced himself as he examined a gaunt young man whose arms and sides were covered with angry purple welts from a rare, ugly cancer, Kaposi's Sarcoma. This once rare disease was now popping up around the country, especially in San Francisco and New York. This deadly, wasting disease was known then simply as GRID, "gay-related immune disorder" because of its disproportionate appearance among male homosexuals. As GRID spread it was grouped with other conditions such as "gay-related bowel syndrome" which gays were prone to because of the practice of anal intercourse.

It was anticipated that the fledgling gay movement would be dealt a severe setback for medical reasons. Unexpectedly the gay community's first priority was "to protect homosexuality itself as a perfectly acceptable, normal, and safe way of life". Because the virus could be transferred to anyone, the first move was to rename "gay-related immune disorder" to AIDS: "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome", though gay related anal intercouse and promiscuity created and continues to preserve the American reservoir for HIV/AIDS. Thus, AIDS was politicized from the start. 1

Social and cultural factors came together to bring about a delay in the attack on AIDS. Because the disease was linked to homosexuality and drug use, many people in positions of power felt the problem did not need to be seriously addressed. Some religious leaders declared that AIDS was punishment for the sins of homosexuality. Also the Reagan administration's policy of smaller government and austerity in social and health programs created competition for government funds and AIDS researchers lost out in the battle. 2.

AIDS was causing 53,000 deaths a year in North America by 1995. By 1997 an expensive AIDS cocktail including protease inhibitors was being used that reduced the amount of the HIV virus in a patient's bloodstream providing additional years of relatively healthy life. The death rate dropped from 59 per 100 people with AIDS to 4per 100 in 1998. No vaccines had proven successful. The Centers for Disease Control researchers were concerned that unsafe sex among young gay men would increase if they believed that AIDS could be effectively controlled by protease inhibitors. 3.

June 2003 edition of the Journal of the American Public Health

The above issue discussed risks associated with homosexual practices. Bad news was reported in one article after another: 4.

- Among 4,295 homosexual men who reported engaging in anal sex with one or more partners in the previous year, 48% reported unprotected receptive anal sex and 55% reported unprotected insertive anal sex. Unprotected anal sex was highly associated with drug and alcohol use. (Beryl A. Koblan et.al)

- Sex without disclosure of HIV status is common. Data from a study indicated that 45,300 gay or bisexual men, 8,000 heterosexual men and 7,500 women who were HIV infected engaged in sex without disclosure of theri HIV status.(Daniel H. Ciccarone, et. al.)

- A study of six metropolitan areas reported 93% of African American men who were HIV infected did not know they had the virus, contradicting the view that 'coming out' is associated with better mental health, responsible behavior and lower rates of HIV infection. African-American men who disclosed their homosexuality had a higher HIV prevalence (24%) and engaged in more unprotected anal sex (41%) than those who did not disclose their status. (14% and 32% respectively).(David J. Malebranche)

Homosexuality and mental illness were discussed in the Archives of General Psychiatry. J Michael Bailey concluded, "Homosexual people are at a substantially higher risk for some forms of emotional problems, including suicidality, major depression and anxiety disorder." This conclusion was corroborated by a study from the Netherlands published in Archives of Psychiatry, 2001. The Dutch society is one of the most gay tolerant in the world. Yet the risk for mental illness by those engaging in homosexuality is significantly higher than among heterosexuals in that country.5.

In response to the above research, Dr. A. Dean Byrd, Vice President of The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, expressed concern that the authors failed to conclude that "homosexuality is neither innate nor immutable," that "homosexual men and women have a choice in how they respond to their attractions," and "that homosexuality represents an adaptation - not an identity." Byrd criticized many of the authors for being preoccupied with 'homophobia' without allowing room for other hypotheses. Byrd stated, "Perhaps it is not homophobia but misquided activism that is responsible for the current health problems that plague homosexual individuals...Rights issues seem to have replaced individual and community health concerns." 6.



REFERENCES1. Satinover, Jeffrey. Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 1996:9-16.
2. Sullivan, Thomas J. Introduction to Social Problems. Boston:Allyn and Bacon Pub. 2000:116.
3.Palen, J. John. Social Problems for the Twenty-first Century.
4. Byrd, A. Dean. "The American Journal of Public Health Highlights Risks of Homosexual Practices." NARTH. http://www.narth.com/docs/risks.html. 1/10/2010.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.