Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men.By Gabriel Rotello Douglas Gabriel Rotello (b. 9 February 1953) is an American television documentary writer and producer, and the founder of OutWeek. Among his credits are: Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality, Dark Roots: The Unauthorized Anna Nicole (Dutton, $24.95) Reviewed by Bruce Wright Gabriel Rotello's book on the origins and future of the AIDS epidemic is certain to be met with fierce opposition. One by one, he picks apart the tenets that have stood as articles of faith in gay men's response to AIDS: the notion that AIDS is a historical accident unrelated to the explosion of gay sexual activity in the '70s; belief in the condom 1. condom - The protective plastic bag that accompanies 3.5-inch microfloppy diskettes. Rarely, also used of (paper) disk envelopes. Unlike the write protect tab, the condom (when left on) not only impedes the practice of SEX but has also been shown to have a high failure code and medical science as the tools of salvation; and the assumption that the best solution to the crisis will be one that demands the least of gay men in terms of sexual restraint. Rotello attacks these shibboleths with formidable logic, arguing that even as gay men strategize strat·e·gize v. strat·e·gized, strat·e·giz·ing, strat·e·giz·es v.tr. To plan a strategy for (a business or financial venture, for example). v.intr. against the virus. they have cultivated a "culture of risk." His analysis goes a long way toward explaining why after more than 16 years of education and prevention efforts the rate of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. infection remains alarmingly high. In place of the old answers, Rotello offers what may seem like retrogressive ret·ro·gress intr.v. ret·ro·gressed, ret·ro·gress·ing, ret·ro·gress·es 1. To return to an earlier, inferior, or less complex condition. 2. To go or move backward. alternatives: stronger emphassis on nonsexual aspects of gay social life and respect for monogamous relationships. But for some people his prescriptions will have the ring of hope. For many gay men. After all, the point of sex is not so much to give libido libido (lĭbē`dō, –bī`–) [Lat.,=lust], psychoanalytic term used by Sigmund Freud to identify instinctive energy with the sex instinct. free rein but to achieve validation, community, intimacy. Gay men might be happier as well as healthier, Rotello argues, if they strive to meet those needs directly in nonsexual ways that still affirm gay identity. Sexual Ecology is worthwhile just for its wide-ranging insights into gay history and ideology--and its questioning of both. In the end even if gay men return to their old beliefs, at least they will have considered themselves deeply. |
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