In English we're studying Philadelphia, which is a 1993 movie starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington about a man and his lawyer overcoming homophobia and the massive AIDS hype in the 90s by suing for unfair dismissal when Tom Hanks character, a closet homosexual, is dismissed after being diagnosed with AIDS. Then, one of my classmates had the cheek to say that the gay community have 'doomed humankind' because they are the catalyst for the spread of the AIDS epidemic.
I have been supportive of gay rights and anti-homophobia movements since I first understood the concept of homosexuality. We're all human; God or not, we're all created equal. If some of us are gay, then that is that, and we all have to move on. Besides, he's got his facts soooo wrong it's not even funny.
AIDS is an immune disease spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person - this includes blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breastmilk. And yes, you can get it from having gay sex, but people fail to mention that you can get it from straight sex, and also through culturally accepted reproductive and sexual phenomena such as pregnancy, childbearing and breastfeeding. In fact, given the circumstances, most AIDS cases are caused by lack of sexual education or contraception in underdeveloped countries, such as Africa.
As sexual beings we have primary responsibility over our sex lives, and gay or straight, promiscuity, unsafe sex and other dangerous behaviours can spread all sorts of nasty business. But sex is risky business - all of it, not that I know personally - and we can't pin diseases on one particular demographic. I mean, I know we as xenophobic assholes love to pick on the gays. But we just have to get over it.
We are afraid of the unknown. We are afraid of what we're not so sure of. We're afraid of what's hidden under wraps, cursed with taboos and social convention. But in the end, we're all different, equal, but the same. We are an enigma, a paradox, a blessing and a curse. We're all human.
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