Over the Rainbow: - Wrestling With Angels

elated immune disorder” because of its disproportionate appearance among male
homosexuals. As GRID spread it was grouped with other conditions such as “Gay-related Bowel
Syndrome” which gays were prone to because of the practice of anal intercourse.
It was anticipated that the fledgling “gay liberation” movement would be dealt a severe
setback for medical reasons. Unexpectedly the gay community‘s first priority was “to protect
homosexuality itself as a perfectly acceptable, normal, and safe way of life”. Because the virus
could, under the right conditions, be transferred to anyone, the first move was to rename “gayrelated
immune disorder” to AIDS: “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”, though gay
related anal intercourse and promiscuity created and continues to preserve the American
reservoir for HIV. AIDS was politicized from the start (Satinover, 1996:9-16.)
The sociology community responded with concern. Ellen Berg wrote in the American
Sociological Association (ASA) Footnotes, “Undeniably a medical emergency, AIDS is also a
social crisis. The domains of private troubles and public issues merge in AIDS… AIDS is caused
by a virus for which we do not have a vaccine. Therefore it is imperative to know how the virus
is transmitted… ‘Education is our vaccine – our only vaccine” (Berg. 1986). Stephen O. Murray
responded with frustration and anger in the March ASA Footnotes. “As of July 1988, 70 percent
of the cases identified with AIDS in the United States are gay men – with 10 percent of these
also being IV drug users…In the seven years of AIDS and President Ronald Reagan, the U.S.
government has again been indifferent to the deaths of my generation” (Murray, 1989).
Social and cultural factors came together to bring about a significant delay in the attack on
AIDS. Because the disease was linked to homosexuality and drug use, many people in positions
of power felt the problem did not need to be seriously addressed. Some religious leaders
declared that AIDS was punishment for the sins of homosexuality. A second reason was that
the Reagan administration’s policy of smaller government and austerity in social and health
programs created competition for government funds and AIDS researchers lost out in the battle
(Sullivan,2000:116).
By 1995 AIDS was causing 53,000 deaths a year in North America. By 1997, however, an
expensive AIDS cocktail including protease inhibitors was being widely used that dramatically
reduced the amount of immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a patient’s bloodstream providing AIDS
patients additional years of relatively healthy life. This created a drop in death rate from 59 per
100 people with AIDS in 1987 to 4 per 100 in 1998. Although vaccines are being tested, none
has proven successful. The Centers for Disease Control researchers are concerned that unsafe
sex among young gay men may increase if they believe that AIDS can be effectively controlled
by protease inhibitors (Palen, 2001:404-405)
Over the Rainbow: The Gay Battle for Social Reorganization of America. 2010
Dr. M. L. Coppock
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