Pessimistic about the world? Have you written off activism as a dead end? Think again. Thanks to the courageous efforts of one activist at a time, we’ve come a long way since the hellish first days of AIDS. Once upon a time, being HIV positive meant early death and having to endure enormous bigotry.
Fortunately, these days we have ways to prevent it. Folks who are tested early and are found to be HIV positive can live long lives with treatment.
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working to end the U.S.’s epidemic within the next ten years!
In addition, it’s working to end discrimination in the U.S. against patients with HIV!
Since 1988, each December, people worldwide show their support to end HIV, both as a disease and as a stigma. We pay our respects to those whose lives have been cut short by it, and to those who live with it.
Here are some of my impressions of the early days of AIDS, which I wrote in reply to my good David Hunt’s post here. He also wrote about it here. Another site with historical information is Gay in the 80s.
Do you ever feel like activism is useless? How do you keep from getting down?
Discover more from Happiness Between Tales (and Tails) by da-AL
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Yes, there has been a lot of progress. But still, HIV is not curable. So there still is a lot of work ahead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes it seems like activism is dead and useless but it may be because we live in such an instant culture now. Activism takes time to see progress and it also take patience, something I don’t think many of us have in the 21st century.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, Kathy – I think people too easily forget, too, that activism is ongoing so that things don’t backslide…
LikeLiked by 1 person
EXACTLY! Like just because we achieved A, doesn’t mean we stop and celebrate forever…the work must continue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
me being me, I relate a lot of stuff to having doggies – not like you can just tell them once & be done lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post
Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve watched films where HIV/AIDS has been the crux of it and where it’s claimed the lives of so many and I’ve cried my eyes out. It’s awful to think of what it was like back that, and not really even all that long ago. So incredibly sad. And the stigma and prejudice around it all… heartbreaking. It’s so good that we’ve come so far with treatments, and a little further with the social understanding of it, but there’s still work to be done, in my opinion, around the negative stereotypes and prejudice. Fab post, da-AL! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, Caz – glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I work in a prison, where HIV and AIDS are common in comparison to the rest of society.You’re right, with today’s medicine most can live a long and healthy life.
LikeLiked by 1 person