Because Silence Can Be Deadly. . .
The U.S. has prided itself on its foundation of diversity and tolerance, but it seems as though those are concepts only held dear by name. In reality, the U.S. has always favored a privileged few — namely white men and priveleged heterosexual individuals. Sexuality, like race and gender, has been a distinguishing factor in a person’s social status. For example, sexuality in the Victorian era “was carefully confined” according to Michel Foucault. The repression explored in Foucault’s analysis of Victorian age sexuality was not left in the past.
Sexuality is an increasingly accepted, yet not explicitly talked about, subject. The fact that it’s an important topic not talked about can and has led to serious problems. In the 1980s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic caused national alarm and fear. The epidemic probably wouldn’t have been cured by an efficient national-scale safe sex talk, but the fact that HIV/AIDS became as big of an issue as it did means that (safe) sex was not a topic readily discussed. Moreover, HIV/AIDS deeply affected the gay male community. Men having sex with men was (and is) more of a taboo subject than heterosexual sex. Gay sex was less accepted, less talked about, and more hidden. The HIV/AIDS epidemic impacted the gay community greatly, because, “On the subject of [gay] sex, silence became the rule.”
During this crisis, the Reagan administration did little to acknowledge the outbreak. Many attribute the lack of response to homophobic sentiments held by the administration, and ultimately by the majority of the country. The insufficient resources and conversation led to a lack of education on sexuality transmitted diseases. The gay community was more susceptible to the consequences of the neglect. The HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 80s highlighted the lack of awareness on the subject of sex, safe sex, STDs, and LGBTQ+ sexualities. Sexuality was already oppressed, and gay sex was even more taboo and unacknowledged in the twentieth century.
Further repercussions of this perspective included the ideal or belief that HIV/AIDS was exclusively a homosexual disease. Homosexuality was even more disapproved and stigmatized than today and HIV/AIDS then became a scarlet letter for those marginalized for not fitting a heteronormative mold. The disease became a dividing line between “good” sexuality and “bad” sexuality, bad sexuality being gay and good sexuality being straight. HIV/AIDS is an inherently sexual disease, and those branded “bad” by the disease and their sexuality received open rebuke in the form of silence from the Reagan administration and the nation. This silence ultimately killed thousands of people, gay and straight alike. Our society’s inability to converse or discuss on the possible dangers of STDs hindered people’s awareness of sexual health and safety.
Heteronormative standards dictated what was good, acceptable, and wholesome in American society. “The legitimate and procreative couple laid down the law. The couple imposed itself as model, enforced the norm, safeguarded the truth, and reserved the right to speak while retaining the “principle of secrecy” and this structure remained evident in the 1980s. A great injustice was done to the gay community. The burden of HIV/AIDS seemed to fall exclusively on homosexual individuals. The social disdain for the disease seemed to be directly linked to gay individuals. Because gay people were ostracized, their resources were extremely limited.
Homosexuals with HIV/AIDS were not at liberty to discuss their condition in a society that stigmatized sexualities so harshly, and because of that unfair bias, they could not receive treatment when they truly needed it. It took far too long for HIV/AIDS to be effectively treated, all because sex and sexuality were too taboo, uncomfortable, or unconventional to talk about.
Although we now live in the twenty-first century and sexualities are much more acknowledged and accepted, the repression of speaking about these different sexualities still lingers and skews our progress toward inclusion. We must continuously encourage one another to not be afraid and speak up in order to see even the slightest attempt at change. Educating on another about these topics will help in the effort to make sure that we prevent history from repeating itself once again because of our biases and ignorance.
