AIDS HITS 30

unfortunately TODAY IS AIDS 30TH BIRTHDAY.
i remember the first time i heard the term AIDS.
origanally called GRID, (gay-related immune disease) a glaring example of homophobia as a matter of fact.

the early years of AIDS were very dark for someone like myself;
a gay young man in my early twenties.
AIDS cast a shadow over my entire life and altered world course forever.

here is some info from APLA-

On Sunday, June 5, we will mark an important milestone in the history of the AIDS epidemic:

It marks 30 years to the day since the first reported case of what would eventually become known as HIV was documented in a briefing issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The briefing explained that five men, all of whom were "active homosexuals," had presented at doctor's offices in Los Angeles with a range of symptoms that seemed very different from any disease that was known at the time.

One of those physicians, Dr. Michael Gottlieb, predicted that this new disease would be "bigger than Legionnaires' disease," which had killed 20,000 at the time.

In fact, Dr. Gottlieb was right: To date, more than 30 million have died of AIDS-related causes worldwide, and over 32,000 have died right here in Los Angeles.

In remembrance of those we've lost over the past 30 years, I ask you to consider taking two action steps right now.

Please visit our Online Memorial Wall and send us an e-mail with the names of friends and loved ones that you have lost to the disease. We will add them to our wall, and then we will display those names at this year's AIDS Walk Los Angeles event on Sunday, October 16.

With deepest appreciation,

Craig E. Thompson
Executive Director
APLA


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on a more conspiratorial note... here is an opinion by filmmaker
BRENT W. LEUNG & KNOWLDGE MATTERS
about current AIDS testing.