LESBIANS AND AIDS BY DAWN MEIFERT
It has come to my attention that an individual made a comment about my last post. Namely, stating that lesbians were late to the AIDS game, stating that we have not done enough.
Let me be clear. When some gay men were running away from other gay men, afraid that they themselves might contract gay cancer who was there cleaning up after the sick? Gay women and men. When some gay men were too busy with the party scene and could not be bothered to get up, volunteer their time and make breakfast at the local hospice, who did it? Gay men AND gay women. To this day there are more AIDS fundraisers and organizations than I can count, the beneficiaries of that money? Mostly gay men. As breast cancer tears thru women's lives, particularly gay women since we do not have children, where are the gay men? Never once have I heard a gay man express any health concerns whatsoever for his lesbian sisters. Not once. (From Bratprince: I know many men that have concerned themselves with breast cancer. I have done the walk...I wear a metal Aids/Breast cancer pin to a lot of events...one side is pink the other red. I give yearly to Breast Cancer organizations (I have lost many friends to the horrible disease. My point...there are a few gay men out there that take breast cancer very seriously and consider it their issue also).
In different cities long before we met, my partner and I were volunteering our time for HIV + gay men in different ways. As a chef in NYC Philomena dedicated her time to making meals and delivering them. I spent my time at a hospice in West Hollywood changing sheets, fetching glasses of ice water or simply reading a good book to a debilitated listener. The army of volunteers that we both worked with were populated by gay men and women. To insinuate that lesbians have been late to the game or lacked participation is a down right lie. It is highly disrespectful and hurtful to the scores of gay women that have donated their time and their money to a disease that will more than likely never affect them. Take back the leadership of amazing lesbian women like Elizabeth Birch, Joan Garry or Lorri Jean and where would gay men be?
I say to this "hollow" individual, what say you? What have YOU done for either cause, HIV or breast cancer? How many hours have you worked? How much money have you donated? It's so easy to sit on the sidelines and sling mud, it just feels so Republican to me. Is this the side of our community that typically "eats its own"?
There are thousands of women and men, gay and straight that have fought long and hard for increased funding and awareness in regards to AIDS. The progress that has been made would have never happened if it were ONLY gay men doing the fighting. This 30 year effort has been shouldered by individuals from every walk of like, our gratitude should go out to them.
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