Living Out Loud with Darian

You may recall reading about Anderson Cooper's AIDS Special on loldarian.com that aired last week reflecting on 30 years of the disease in America. Longtime activist Larry Kramer, co- founder of Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP, was not impressed and is not holding back on his criticism of Cooper and the hour long special featuring Sir Elton John, Mo'Nique and Phil Wilson (Black AIDS Institute).


The Advocate reports:


"For the most part it was a pretty lackluster and bloodless affair, with the exception of a magnificent appearance by Elton John and a moving one by Mo'nique. The rest of it was pretty much pablum, recycled stuff from eons of too familiar footage, and appearances by people with nothing new or challenging to offer."





"What troubled me most about the show was Anderson himself. it was a noble gesture for a reporter, closeted or not, to put on an aids special, but did he have to be such a wimp on it himself? Reporters are meant to ask questions, and good questions (Anderson once had a reputation for doing just that; what in the world has happened to him?); The questions Anderson asked were puerile beyond belief. he challenged no one with anything. Is that what good reporters do? "


Kramer has penned a brutally honest and controversial piece on cnn.com titled "AIDS is a plague allowed to happen" in which he lists ten reasons why the epidemic still exist 30 years later with no foreseeable end.


Here's my favorite section of the article that I believes deserves some space here on loldarian.com:


Governments and bureaucrats and presidents and politicians and the people who run this world lie to people. They tell us HIV is under control. They tell us case numbers are decreasing. They tell us that all is being done that can be done. They tell us HIV is too complicated to eradicate. They tell us gay people and people of color have made more progress than ever before. These are all lies.


We must not believe them. How could we when, in one place or another:


-- They also tell us we can't get legally married.
-- They also tell us that we cannot legally adopt children.
-- They also tell us religions will not recognize us.
-- They also tell us we can't serve our country yet.
-- They also tell us our real history cannot be taught in schools.
-- They also tell us that gay students cannot organize in schools.
-- They also tell us that people who murder us are not committing hate crimes.
-- They also tell us we cannot insure our partners.
-- They also tell us our partners are not legal.
-- They also tell us we cannot have equal opportunities.
-- They also tell us we can't kiss each other or hold each other's hands in public.
-- They also tell us that our Supreme Court doesn't want to know about any of this, doesn't want to make us free and equal, doesn't want to honor the Bill of Rights.


If you want to know why AIDS is a plague, I have just told you why.


PREACH!


Just in case you missed it: Anderson Cooper's AIDS Special