How to aid AIDS victims

There was a public program held at a public school here in Springfield last night. it was part of a HIV-AIDS prevention effort by a local organization. There are 905 residents of this city living with AIDS. 50% of them are Latinos, according to the national Center for Disease Control. Organizers are quoted in the news article as saying that a major hurdle to prevention and spread of HIV-Aids is stigma- people do not want to talk about it.

Two national columnists in the same paper do talk about the topic. Both quote a book by major gay activist Charles Kaiser, "The Gay Metropolis". While many contract the AIDs virus through the use of unclean needles by drug users and by women through sex with infected drug users, most of the spread of the virus apparently is by active gay men through unprotected sex. Many non-gays fear to say anything critical of gay sex for fear of being labeled homophobic. But Kaiser and another major gay activist, Larry Kramer, are saying it is time to speak out about behavior by gay men that is reckless, stupid and very selfish. Liberal Richard Cohen, in his article, says that when gays are "victims of their own behavior, they need to be condemned." Conservative Cal Thomas, on the same page, agrees. The real solution is about getting people to stop their risky behavior. "Behavior remains the key", he says, quoting former SG, Everett Koop. But he is not hopeful for seeing that happening.