The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: Tucker on December 06, 2011, 05:02:15 PM
-
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2437235
JI7 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Dec-06-11 05:36 PM
Original message
Ryan White's Fight for AIDS Awareness ( would have turned 40 today)
Ryan White should have turned 40 today. But he died at age 18, after a too-short and tumultuous life in which he battled HIV and the prejudice that surrounded it – as well as the somewhat unwelcome place in the spotlight his condition thrust upon him.
When White was infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment in 1984, AIDS was still a new disease, not widely understood and carrying great stigma. He found himself shunned by classmates and their parents – when he was finally allowed to return to school, that is. After a prolonged absence due to his illness, White was denied re-admission to school, forcing his family into a months-long legal battle with the school board. As he discussed his story with interviewers and local coverage yielded to national attention, White became a poster boy for AIDS awareness. Celebrities rallied to his cause and he became friends with luminaries from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Michael Jackson to Elton John.
When Ryan White died in 1990, those celebrities continued to support his family, turning out for the funeral – Michael Jackson was there, as well as Phil Donahue, Barbara Bush, and 1500 others. Elton John performed a special tribute to the boy who touched his heart.
Since 1990, we've made great strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS – just last week, researchers announced new advances in controlling the spread of the virus. And we understand the disease better, allowing those who live with it to lead a more normal life than Ryan White did, with less stigma and prejudice. We still have a ways to go, but we can thank Ryan White for all he did to help raise awareness and promote understanding.
You shit packers killed him, an innocent victim, with you degenerate lifestyle. Sad part is that you queers still want the right to donate blood.
Ryan White, if he were still alive, wouldn't embrace or condone your perverted lifestyle. He wasn't your champion.
I have a question for you DUmbass lurkers. Tying Matthew Shepard to a fence saved how many lives?
joeybee12 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Dec-06-11 05:42 PM
Response to Original message
2. Has it been that long...poor Ryan faced such a hard battle...
A very, very brave kid...I recall he talked about his battles at a catholic school and when someone asked me didn't gay men deserve it? They were to blame of course, but Ryan wasn't. Ryan set them straight.
I know he set em straight. Straight as in heterosexual. He pointed out what screwing the poop chute will get you, a death sentence.
New campfire.
-
I was going to college down there at the time and remember when the scare first started. I was very, very liberal then and lost a lot of friends. One of my dearest friend's (he is to this day) partner died of it. SF wanted to shut down the bath houses but advocacy groups and the bath house owners (for business reasons...amazing how they're all capitalists when it's their bottom line) refused to because it was before the gay pride day festivities. The advocacy groups didn't want to deal with it because it would be bad PR. They didn't even want fliers handed out with information about how to be safe. I've often wondered how many people were infected because of that. Gays & their friends & families came from all over the country to attend.
Cindie
-
Of course, he died from a blood transfusion from contaminated blood, but ya'll see nothing wrong with letting homosexuals donate blood.
Got it. ****ing hypocrites.
-
I've often wondered how many people were infected because of that.
Cindie
It gets even worse. Google "bug chasers" and "gift givers". Have a bucket handy. If that's not enough for you, look up the STD rate in the gay community versus the straight community.
-
I remember Ryan White. It was very sad. But the fact is that AIDS was a brand-new disease, we really didn't know much about it, and no one wants their children exposed to something that will kill them. Just as we keep kids home that had measles, mumps, chicken pox, mono, the flu, etc., everyone thought Ryan should be homeschooled until it could be proven that AIDS didn't get passed on by coughing, spitting, or any other fairly normal child activity.
(And in fact, health care workers still wear full protection gear when treating AIDS sufferers, so there was reason to be afraid.)
I don't hesitate to admit that, if my kids had been in that school, I'd have felt terrible for Ryan...but I'd have moved my kids if he went to their school.
-
I remember Ryan White. It was very sad. But the fact is that AIDS was a brand-new disease, we really didn't know much about it, and no one wants their children exposed to something that will kill them. Just as we keep kids home that had measles, mumps, chicken pox, mono, the flu, etc., everyone thought Ryan should be homeschooled until it could be proven that AIDS didn't get passed on by coughing, spitting, or any other fairly normal child activity.
(And in fact, health care workers still wear full protection gear when treating AIDS sufferers, so there was reason to be afraid.)
I don't hesitate to admit that, if my kids had been in that school, I'd have felt terrible for Ryan...but I'd have moved my kids if he went to their school.
Nothing to feel ashamed of though. As a parent, you do what you think is best for your kids and let the feelings of others be damned.
-
Nothing to feel ashamed of though. As a parent, you do what you think is best for your kids and let the feelings of others be damned.
Ain't that the truth! :cheersmate:
-
AIDS or HIV carriers should be qurantined. They can be held comfortably and even work remotely, but for everyone else's safety, they should be held apart. How much more money do we have to spend on a disease that has a well known and avoidable vector.
One of Reagan's biggest mistakes was not doing just that.
-
AIDS or HIV carriers should be qurantined. They can be held comfortably and even work remotely, but for everyone else's safety, they should be held apart. How much more money do we have to spend on a disease that has a well known and avoidable vector.
One of Reagan's biggest mistakes was not doing just that.
You wouldn't want them to develope a complex, would you? :sarcasm:
-
AIDS or HIV carriers should be qurantined. They can be held comfortably and even work remotely, but for everyone else's safety, they should be held apart. How much more money do we have to spend on a disease that has a well known and avoidable vector.
One of Reagan's biggest mistakes was not doing just that.
And, imo, his biggest mistake was granting amnesty to all those millions of illegals. :fuelfire:
-
Of course, he died from a blood transfusion from contaminated blood, but ya'll see nothing wrong with letting homosexuals donate blood.
Got it. ****ing hypocrites.
Hear, hear.
They hold him up as some kind of gay- rights hero even though he wasn't gay and it was the gays' rampant spread of the disease through unprotected sex and being allowed to donate blood which got him infected in the first place.
So, DUmmies, you still think the gay lifestyle doesn't hurt anybody? You still think gays should be allowed to donate blood?
-
No mention of Arthur Ashe?
:racist:
-
I remember in the early 80's (83?) to late 80's we did not call it AIDS it was known as GRID (gay related immune deficiency). A more accurate term in my opinion.
-
I remember in the early 80's (83?) to late 80's we did not call it AIDS it was known as GRID (gay related immune deficiency). A more accurate term in my opinion.
Before it had a name, it was the gay plague.
-
And here I thought it just stood for Another Infected Dick Sucker.
-
Anally Injected Death Sentence works too.
-
It gets even worse. Google "bug chasers" and "gift givers". Have a bucket handy. If that's not enough for you, look up the STD rate in the gay community versus the straight community.
Yeah I know what that is...it's really twisted. There was an article in Rolling Stone about it a while back. Link was posted from some conservative site (or maybe facebook).
Cindie