A Very Courageous Man Speaks the Unspeakable
When I was in graduate school, I interned for an organization called Incest Help. This was long before the groundbreaking cover of Ms. Magazine featured from front to back the names of incest survivors. At that point, community mental health in San Francisco didn’t know what to do with victims of incest and would send them to “the transvestite clinic.” In an effort to break the silence surrounding incest, members of Incest Help would stand on street corners of the city handing out business cards with organizational information that said:
Soon another “unspeakable” would enter our lives: AIDS
Soon I would lose three beautiful friends: Bruce, Christopher, and David
It’s been 25 years since the AIDS epidemic began. After a quarter century, we are still in denial, still fearful, still unable to speak about HIV/AIDS openly and competently.
Today is National Day of Silence – a day devoted to shining a light on the suffering endured by our gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender brothers and sisters. This suffering is the result of a society which is unable to understand and speak openly and competently about sexual orientation and gender variance -- but instead responds out of ignorance and fear .
I urge you to read Todd’s column and allow yourself to stand for a moment in his shoes – to feel the isolation and fear that accompanies this diagnosis and to challenge yourself to learn and become more compassionate to those who walk this path. I hope you will be able to say Todd and other brave individuals like him who are willing to disclose their status:
I know what incest is
and I can help
That was 1980. and I can help
Soon another “unspeakable” would enter our lives: AIDS
Soon I would lose three beautiful friends: Bruce, Christopher, and David
It’s been 25 years since the AIDS epidemic began. After a quarter century, we are still in denial, still fearful, still unable to speak about HIV/AIDS openly and competently.
Today is National Day of Silence – a day devoted to shining a light on the suffering endured by our gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender brothers and sisters. This suffering is the result of a society which is unable to understand and speak openly and competently about sexual orientation and gender variance -- but instead responds out of ignorance and fear .
Today my friend Todd Heywood
has broken the silence on another unspeakable.
Todd has come out in his column on Michigan Messenger
and revealed that he is HIV positive.
has broken the silence on another unspeakable.
Todd has come out in his column on Michigan Messenger
and revealed that he is HIV positive.
I urge you to read Todd’s column and allow yourself to stand for a moment in his shoes – to feel the isolation and fear that accompanies this diagnosis and to challenge yourself to learn and become more compassionate to those who walk this path. I hope you will be able to say Todd and other brave individuals like him who are willing to disclose their status:
I know what HIV is.
I can talk about it competently.
AND, I will stand beside you on your journey.
I can talk about it competently.
AND, I will stand beside you on your journey.
Labels: AIDS, breaking silence, epidemic, HIV, status disclosure, taboos
posted by Colette Seguin Beighley @ 3:20 PM
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