ROGER'S RUMINATIONS BY ROGER WHEELER

HIV? What’s that?

I spent three years in the early 1980s living and working in Amsterdam. Coming from a very repressed Brighton with just two ‘gay’ bars which no one would admit going to, arriving in this beautiful city was very much like Willy Wonka arriving in the chocolate factory. It was hard to believe the number of gay bars actually playing gay porn videos and no one was remotely horrified or even shocked. Then, shock horror, there were even ‘back rooms’ where literally anything went. Naturally I jumped in with both feet without a care in the world. There were rumours about some sort of virus but no one cared, we went merrily on our happy way. There were regular ‘parties’ in canalside warehouses where you could dance, drink and take just about every pill you were offered all night and most people were virtually naked. You don’t need much imagination to realise what was going on, almost everywhere. This was truly a revelation, gay heaven was here, enjoyment was required and we certainly did.

Nowadays we have medication that enables everyone with HIV/Aids to live relatively normal lives, but there is no doubt that we need to be reminded on a regular basis

When I look back on those innocent halcyon days I wonder how we got away with it, the worst illness was a bad case of crabs. I guess that ignorance was bliss; no one had any idea of what was looming ahead. I returned home in the mid-1980s to find Brighton still struggling to fully come to terms with the ‘new’ gay scene that was slowly appearing.

Rock Hudson died from Aids in 1985, but the reason for his death was initially kept private, although he had announced his illness no one fully understood the implications. It was due to him that Elizabeth Taylor took up the campaign to bring Aids to public attention. It was in 1986 when we here in the UK slowly became aware of this thing called Aids, but the news was all from America so I don‘t think that gay UK paid much heed. In 1987, the World Health Organisation started taking an interest, then Liberace died of similar complications in the same year and suddenly we all knew.

The UK government’s frightening ad campaign in 1987 about not dying from ignorance was very successful in slowing the spread of the virus. The campaign had a lasting effect on the rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the UK. Safe sex became and still is a byword in the gay community. As the years passed it seemed that the message had been somewhat forgotten by the new generation. The naughty nineties were all about having fun. In 2003 that powerful play, TV and film Angels in America took our education to a new level and suddenly we were reminded of the dangers of promiscuity. It’s a film we should all watch from time to time. Nowadays we have medication that enables everyone with HIV/Aids to live relatively normal lives, but there is no doubt that we need to be reminded on a regular basis.

We are all very grateful to the President Donald as he announced that there would be an end to the HIV epidemic within 10 years. Just like he has handled the current pandemic! As always I will wear my ribbon on December 1, never forget.