Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
|
|
Washington Blade - October 21, 2005
Jorge Valencia
During his career, Whitfield wrote about his experience with the virus. He was a contributing writer to Vibe magazine and had been a senior editor at POZ, a magazine targeted to HIV-positive people.
"He was unusually committed to exposing the truth about AIDS in the black community, and he was unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom," Keith Boykin, an author, gay activist and friend of Whitfield's, wrote on his Web site.
Whitfield, who lived with HIV for 15 years without taking medications, challenged the medical convention of using antiretroviral drugs - which can produce side effects including fatigue, nausea or blurred vision - to fight HIV. However, in August of this year he reflected on his T-cell count, which he said had "plummeted to a dangerous all-time low."
"I keep weighing potential side effects against the ill alternative - opportunistic infections - and I can't decide which is worse to my mind," Whitfield wrote. "I just can't decide."
One of his major focuses was AIDS as well as gay and lesbian issues in the black community. "I don't think the larger AIDS groups give the voice to the black gay community," he said in a 2001 interview with the New York Times. "A lot of these men don't have a grip on what they are feeling sexually, and I don't think many of the organizations have a grasp on how to communicate with them."
A Chicago native, Whitfield attended the University of Chicago and DePaul University before working as an associate editor at the Chicago-based Positively Aware, according to the AP. He moved to New York in 2000.
Whitfield is survived by his mother, Imogene Whitfield; a sister, LaRonya Whitfield; and a brother, Crofton Whitfield. A memorial service was scheduled for Oct. 20 in New York.
051021
WB051007
Copyright © 2005 - The Washington Blade. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of The Washington Blade content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of the Blade. The Washington Blade shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The Washington Blade.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .