Miami Herald, - Tuesday, October 03 1989
Kitty Oliver - Herald Columnist

At Center One/Anyone in Distress, 60 percent of the cases that came in during one recent week were minorities, said executive director Juliette Love.

The center provides outreach services to people who test positive for the HIV virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Gay white men top the client list, followed by gay black men, but the number of minority clients in general shot up 170 percent from October 1987 to October 1988. That included women and babies. In 1987-88 there were two teen-age clients -- both prostitutes. Last month, three teen-age hemophiliacs came in during the same week.

"The agency is a microcosm of society," said Love, who plans to open a satellite center in Fort Lauderdale's northwest area and is recruiting minority and teen-age volunteers. "As the face of the disease changes, so does the agency's."

Dr. Timothy Moragne is a school psychologist, Nova University professor, Center One therapist, and national activist for AIDS awareness. He's also director of a new $213,000 pilot project of the Family Life Institute for Counseling Education and Research, funded by the Centers for Disease Control. The project will disperse information about prevention to the high-risk gay male population and adolescents in the juvenile probation system. Racial and ethnic minorities are behind in their knowledge about AIDS, the government has conceded.

Black gays, and Hispanics, too, are not integrated into the white gay community in this area, so they're not getting information. Also, they're ostracized within their own communities and families if they're open about their sexual preferences.

"If the community is smaller and more cloistered, many feel they have to shield their behavior so you have bisexuality. They get married and have kids but they're gay and tend to remain within their community," Moragne said.

"It becomes a double whammy way for HIV to get into the minority community -- the gay, sexual and drug route, which is also sexual. That means more minority babies and women get it. AIDS is just one part of the whole constellation of issues in the black community."

Moragne plans to take AIDS awareness workshops to church congregations to dispel myths, misconceptions and fears about contact with people who have the virus or the disease.

"In my opinion, the churches have been terribly remiss in attacking head-on the basic prejudice and attitudes that need to be changed. The church stands for morality and this issue means acknowledging that bisexuality occurs," he said. "As long as people can be seen as culpable or sinners in people's eyes they can go contrary to Christian doctrine and shun them when they should be welcoming and helping them. The challenge is to turn what's looked upon as God's punishment into God's challenge to be Christian-like."

He'll show a video that makes an emotional appeal to confront the human side of this societal tragedy and to urge congregations to get involved with foster care and adoption programs for HIV-positive kids.

AIDS education programs, long in coming, have been effective, increasing referrals for treatment and reducing at-risk behavior. Research is refining testing and prolonging life with medication while a cure is being sought.

How the men, women and children got the disease should no longer matter. The sick are among us and they need our compassion now.

Give a call: Kitty Oliver can be reached Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 527-8427 or by writing The Miami Herald, 1520 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33304.
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