It's been 30 years since the article printed in the New York Times on 3 July 1981 noted an unusually high incidence of Kaposi's Sarcoma in gay men in the New York area. The 1st December as I'm sure many of you know is the global day marked to remember victims of the virus, and raise awareness of the disease which is ravaging the continent of Africa.
The majority of writing has come from the gay community and writers' responses to the impact of the disease on the community changed Queer literature completely and became a powerful element of the culture.
GLBTQ.com has a wonderful article on AIDS literature. Amongst the most acclaimed works dealing with this subject are Armistead Maupin's Babycakes, Significant Others and Sure of You; Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart; Randy Shilts' chronicle of the early years of the crisis, And the Band Played On; and Tony Kushner's Pulizter Prize winning play Angels in America.
So wear your red ribbon with pride. For more information about today, visit to World Aids Day.org, and for more information about the virus and safe sex visit The Terrence Higgins Trust.
