Way too positive?

Letter to the Editor

I feel an obligation to temper the rosy picture painted by Andrew Sullivan in his Against the Current essay, "Still Here, So Sorry" [July 5]. Sullivan and many other gay men with H/V--should rejoice in the improved length and quality of life resulting from HIV medications. But HIV is much bigger than the gay community (both in the United States and internationally). In the United States, HIV and AIDS (yes, people are still progressing to AIDS) is also a disease of color, of poverty, of mental illness and homelessness--in short, of disparity. As the infection rates soar in underserved and minority communities, finding for medications and services have paradoxically plummeted. Could there be a link?

Being healthy, 41 years old, 190 pounds, and in possession of some newly discovered abs is good news for Mr. Sullivan, but does he know any people who are virus-resistant to the medications and clinging to a string of hope for new drugs to be developed? I do. Being able to stop medications for several years with stable T-cell counts is good for Mr. Sullivan, but is he aware of the skyrocketing costs of medications and the limitations being placed on the many thousands of people who depend on public assistance for their care? I am. Extolling the newly dubbed descriptions of HIV as "another diabetes" (i.e., a chronic, manageable condition) is appealing, but what about the myriad health problems faced by people with HIV, whether on or off medicine? The lipodystrophy, the liver or kidney problems, the side effects like neuropathy or rashes, the cardiovascular risks. Does Sullivan know people experiencing any such problems? I do.

I realize the essay was written in response to a quote by Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. However, despite all of its feisty underdog appeal, the essay glosses over the real problems that HIV still presents. The country seems desperately ready to consider AIDS in America as an issue of the past. The Bush administration is banking on it as it heavy-handedly attempts to scale back the AIDS infrastructure created through the Ryan White CARE Act. Perhaps they can use Sullivan's essay as the smoking gun for why AIDS doesn't matter anymore in America.

THOMAS GEGENY, executive director The Center for AIDS Information and Advocacy Houston, Texas 

I can understand why Mr. Sullivan is joyous in the fact that he is still alive and that his medical treatment is working so well for him. I would jump for joy as well. But Mr. Sullivan uses annoying sarcasm to make the point that HIV-negative gay men should not be warned against HIV, that it is fast becoming the new diabetes. Even if this were true, just ask any diabetic who has gone blind, lost a leg, or suffers from kidney disease how easy diabetes is to live with. If this is the reasoning behind Sullivan's rejoicing at the thought of being HIV-positive, I pity him. But I pity far more those young HIV-negative men who read his column and use it as an excuse to engage in dangerous sexual practices.

MICHAEL D. FEIN Montreal, Canada

Sullivan's satirical column clearly betrays his self-centered style of thinking. If he was aiming for a masterpiece along the lines of Jonathan Swiff's "A Modest Proposal," he blew it. Instead of the "all about me" rhetoric, Sullivan could have proposed shutting down AIDS organizations, firing those who lobby to keep the government from cutting money for the fight against the disease, and placing HIV medications in bars and bathhouses instead of condoms. Perhaps people would take HIV seriously if people like Sullivan could explain how someone like him could get infected as an adult in the early '90s. That's an experience people can learn from.

DAVID S. BIMBI Hoboken, N.J.

OK, I get it. Andrew Sullivan is sarcastically saying that in preventing HIV, the scare tactics aren't entirely supported by the facts. However, Sullivan's piece is quite off-base.

First, it's selfish for Andrew to write about his good fortune with HIV without mentioning that many lack the excellent health care and outcomes he has enjoyed. For many, living with HIV has been a physical, emotional, social, and financial prison. And, yes, AIDS still kills.

Second, the inaccuracies: Sullivan claims no side effects, but what about the diarrhea, exhaustion, regular doctor visits, and other nuisances that he admits to on his blog? What about the unending worry about infections and the higher incidence of disease among HIV-positive folks? This is no diabetes.

Third, the bitterness that drips from the article clearly shows Sullivan wishes he were negative. Hell never admit it, but it is for all these reasons that Andrew should be shouting from the rooftops, "Don't get infected--I hate it!" Instead, he strokes his ego and spreads some lies.

Speak the truth, Andrew. ANDY OEHLER San Francisco, Calif.