AIDS: From Ryan White to Today's Silent Epidemic | Retro Report

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[seanwebb]

Let's just point out that each time they tried to describe Ryan White as an innocent victim he made sure to correct them. He didn't think that he was different than anyone else with the disease. There was an attempt to limit the conversation about AIDS to "innocent victims" like Ryan and Kimberly Bergalis who was infected by her dentist. Each and every time Ryan said that he appreciated the support of the gay community while he was ostracized by others. His mother remains a firm supporter for everyone suffering from HIV/AIDS and stands by the gay community. He really made things more difficult for himself by doing this. He could have been treated if he had joined in and blamed other groups for his situation. He didn't do that. It forced a broader conversation than the public wanted and many credible news agencies would have preferred if it was limited in scope.

[classicerynn]

I read the book, The Ryan White Story as a kid, and I balled my eyes out when I found out he died at the end. RIP Ryan ❤🙏🏼

[michellecrocker]

The parents who lobbied against that boy should be ashamed of themselves

[brandondavidson]

If I might get into the weeds a little bit, because this (like many RetroReport pieces) would eventually have broader implications for our culture later on: The parents fighting to keep Ryan White from coming back to school is insane to me. Even in the 1980s, when you had every expert telling you AIDS is blood-borne, these parents didn't care. Of course, they weren't saying they thought Ryan would piss or bleed on their children (that's only what some would assume their thought process was because normal people accept the facts presented by well-respected experts).

These were parents who genuinely believed the lies that AIDS is spread through skin contact and airborne transmission, and so they acted on their worst impulses because of misinformation. Over 40 years later, we would see the same thing happening with conservative parents who, in an ironic twist, chose to believe that a pandemic was actually NOT serious and make every effort possible to put their children in danger. Because people are all too willing to believe lies.