Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - November 26, 2004
Brian Moylan, staff writer
GATEKEEPERS, IT SEEMS, are always trying to define the "new face of AIDS." But after more than 20 years of battling the epidemic, finding new and interesting angles to shed light on this topic - or reporting on the disease at all - has become increasingly difficult.
A new CNN special titled "Are You Positive?" smartly reminds us that the spread of HIV doesn't just affect one particular population. There are many visages of the syndrome, and many challenges remain.
"Are You Positive?" premieres at 10 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 28, with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's senior medical correspondent, highlighting the scientific, as well as human angles to this story, rather than focusing on its most sensationalistic aspects. CNN is slated to air the show again during World AIDS Day, Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 3 and 11 p.m.
The news in "Are You Positive?" is hard-hitting. Much ado has rightfully been made in recent years about AIDS in Africa, the continent hardest hit by the pandemic, but many viewers might not know much about the rise in HIV infection in India, or among senior citizens in Florida, or African-American women.
The CNN special is anchored by personal stories about people living with the virus and those working to save their lives. Among the celebrities who appear on the program are retired sports figure and entrepreneur Magic Johnson, as well as actors Richard Gere and Ashley Judd.
Even more effective, however, is the appearance on the program of people few of us know.
Kaitlyn Klepzig, 12, contracted HIV from her mother and travels across the country talking about the issue. Pernessa Seele is the founder of the Balm of Gilead, an organization in New York that spearheads HIV-prevention and awareness programs in African-American churches.
THE STORY OF Tommy Foster, a 27-year-old gay actor who stars in a one-man show he wrote called "The METHod to My Madness," should be of particular interest to gay viewers. Foster contracted HIV during a three-day binge of unprotected sex, a binge fueled by crystal methamphetamine.
CNN uses his story to demonstrate the correlation between the rise in the use of crystal meth among young gay men and the rise in new HIV infections in this population, based on risky behavior they tend to engage in while using the drug. While applauding gay men for the strides they made in encouraging HIV prevention, the program questions why this spike is happening.
Gay issues also crop up during discussions about the rise in HIV infections among black Americans. While much has been written in the last year or so about black men on the down-low, who are sexually intimate with their wives and girlfriends as well as with other men, the bulk of the focus is on homophobia and stigma among African Americans, as well as the failure of prevention programs aimed at this population.
Instead of rehashing the same information on HIV/AIDS, "Are You Positive?" addresses where the epidemic is headed, why it's going that way, and what can be done to stop it. It examines the challenges gay men face today, without making them the focus of the program.
How refreshing and appropriate.
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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
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