Lkabout Newsletterof People Living with AIDS Lnc.(NSW) Where Toe Speak for Ourselves ISSN L 034-0866 Trealments
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lkabout Newsletterof People Living With AIDS lnc.(NSW) Where toe speak for ourselves ISSN l 034-0866 TREAlMENTS Pregnancy: some things to think about p.8 Vol. 2, No.3 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1991 A TALKABOUT is published every two months by People Living With AIDS (NSW) Inc. All views expressed in TALKABOUT are the opinions of the respective authors and not necessar ily those of PLWA (NSW) Inc., its committee or members. · ACT UP news 3 I TALKABOUT Is produced by the Letters 4 Newsletter Working Group of PLWA 4 (NSW) Inc. Poem Obituary - Andrew Carter 5 Copyright for all material In TALKA New support groups 21 BOUT, written and visual, resides with the respective contributors. Features 7 TALKABOUT is printed by Media Fighting for my people Press, 7 Gamers Avenue, Mar Positively Pregnant 8 r1ckvllle NSW. Anguish in Bohemia - part 3 15 TALKABOUT Is made possible by Good Health - for workers in HIV/AIDS 19 readership subscriptions, donations and a grant under the State/Com News monwealth AIDS Program. NPLWAC gets funding 14 TALKABOUT is also grateful for the Treatments news 22 assistance of the AIDS Council of PLWA Tasmania 25 NSW. ADB Inquiry 25 How to Contact Us: Hepatitis A 25 PLWA Committee news 26 PLWA Co-ordinator: Report from Florence - third world issues 27 Gerald Lawrence Diary 28 TALKABOUT Co-ordinator: Jill Sergeant Contacts 30 2nd level, AIDS Resource Centre, 188 Goulburn Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 PO Box 1359, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Ph: (02) 283-3220 TIY Only (for deaf and hearing The Final deadline for November /December Impaired) (02) 283-2088 issue of Talkabout is Fax: (02) 283-2199 October 8 Commonly Used Abbreviations: PLWA: People Living With AIDS Send contributions to PO Box 1359, Darlinghurst (NSW) Inc. PLWAs/PWAs: Primarily people 2010. Infected with HIV. Also used to Call Jill on 283 3220 to find out the date and time include others affected by the virus. of the next Newsletter Working group meeting 2 Talkabout September/October1991 Update on ACT UP Update on ACT UP Innocent victims. Naughty guilty victims. ference saying that minutes before the protest, Naughty Franca Arena. Medically acquired she received a threatening phone call telling her HIV. 0-U-T-I-N-G-!!! Crossover to beware ofAIDS infected needles, and also that membership?! Who is Queer Nation John Stapleton of the Sydney Morning Herald told anyway? Is any of this making sense to her that her sons were to be outed. anyone? Franca Arena and the media attributed this outing to ACT UP. Of course they would. Any When ACT UP protested the Parliamentary radical action in Sydney to do with poofters has Inquiry into Medically-Acquired HIV at its Au got to be ACT UP, right? Remember One In gust 8 hearing, there was nothing to foretell the Seven's red paint and how ACT UP got asked now-infamous Franca Arena Affair. ACTUP had time and timeagain why we did it? This costACT organizedasimplezap, where we would putup UP much precious energy doing an obscene our FRANCA ARENA:HOMOPHOBE posters amount of media appearances denying involve (not outing posters, mind you!), distribute non ment in the outing of Franca Arena's sons (who discriminatory terms of reference as formulated were outed by Franca Arena herself at her own by ACT UP for the Committee to adopt, and press conference!). Energy that could have been demand that Franca Arena apologize for the much better spent on AIDS activism. outrageous statements she made about how peo ple who got AIDS through a "lifestyle" should But the bottom line is: the ACT UP protest have known better and so should be treated worked. The issue of the inquiry into medically differentlyfrom people who got it fromhospitals. acquired HN is being discussed extensively, in and out of the media. And it looks like the right After all this was done Parliament security opinions are being formed. The Sydney Morning was called and escorted ACTUP fromParliament Herald (Iohn Mclelland) and the Telegraph Mirror House. We thought that would be the end of the (Sue Quinn) were amongst media that ran stories matter. But, no. Franca Arena holds a press con- saying how despicable ACT UP's actions were, but that their reasons were valid. Remember, ACT UP is an in-your-face organization. It isn't here to be stroked or praised. It's here to end to the AIDS crisis. Scenes from ACT UP's fundraising party QUEER .... see, there's more to ACT UP than placards and die-ins. Talkabout September/October 1991 3 A Maitraya meals Seven phrases that turn our Dear friends, stomachs worse than AZT I On behalf of the Maitraya day 1. You look really good. Really Centre Foundation Inc, I z. Does your mother know? would like to express our 3. Are you sure you're air rlght? thanks for your kind donation to the Foundation Inc. of 4. You need to look for the deeper meaning In all this. $1,000. 5. Gee, I thought you were dead) As suggested, this amount has 6. Avoid cat faeces. been dedicated to providing an additional meal service on 7. Straight acting GWM, HIV-, seeks same. Wednesdays. (from a list by Patrick McGrath) The Wednesday meal has been trialled for the last six If you would like to add weeks, with 15-20 people being served each week. Our to this list with your own clients are very grateful for the most hated HIV/AIDS additional meal and have remarks, send them in commented that it certainly and we'll publish them in does help them. The Maitraya the next issue Day Centre Foundation Inc. is PO Box 1359 Darlinghurst very pleased to advise that this additional meal will be 2010 continued in the future. Matthew Kanters, Secretary. Time mine Time stand still, be still like the trees (This donation was raised from Let me Inhale the clear wind sales of PLWA T-shirts. - JS.) and hold onto it inside myself Expelling it only when I see fit. Request I challenge you - time I hold you in my fists caught Hi, my name is David Bunker You cannot move on until andlamHIV+. lamseekingHIV+ the breeze whispers softly people to interview for a research project which will result in abook through my hair letfor use by support & healthcare until the crow cries with its workers who work with HIV+ cli brilliant familiarity ents. Ifyou are able to give some of or until I open my fist your time and are willing to be interviewed, please call me on and I set you free. (02)319 6577. by Manny Papadopoulos , ' 4 Talkabout September/October1991 0 Andrew Carter 5.7.54 - 20.6.91 I learned of Drew's death whilst on my way to Norway and the Arctic circle. This is the unfinished trip Drew and I planned last year. It was Drew who got me ~ C: hooked on overseas travel and ::> 0 we had four trips together. It .!!! started with a 'rescue me' week -:,~ end after Drew had gathered -• _gs me up after I had found myself D. a little glum following the end Andrew (Scarlet) Carter (centre) with co-founder of the Australian of a seven year relationship.... AIDS Memorial Quilt, Terry Giblett (left) and Mike Smith, co-founder of but I'll go back to the 1950's for the American Names Project some background. We started out as womb lege ..... we led quite different was affecting his mates in SF, matesand in thatconfined envi lives around this time but did LA and NY. Then came his own ronment got on surprisingly cross paths at sordid parties. positive result. I needed to be well. I remember a little rough Our characters were laid down closer again and came back to housing and that special feeling over this period - Drew and his Sydney. of not being alone. When Mum smart yellow sportscar and me Hisjob in travel was his life. went into labour we had our on some filthy Triumph or BSA. Always on the drawing board first D & M and Drew's logic He had his first trip to Europe there was an elaborate vacation won out over my chaos theoret and was hooked. Then I moved planned. I think at last count ics and it was decided he would to Sydney, Drew to Canada. He he'd been to 48 of the US states. go first, but I could break the returned to Australiaafterayear We went to the Gay Games in sac. and moved into my house in '86 together and as proud reps Through our infancy we Dario. in the Australian cheerleading shared our cribs, through our As gay men we loved Syd squad, heshowed mehis haunts childhoodweshared pramsand ney. The friends, lovers, parties in the Castro and West Holly bedroomsandfromadolescence and especially the community. wood. We drove through the we shared girlfriends, bongs, We continued to travel exten Rockies and danced through the thenboyfriends. The occasional sively with his turf being over bars and he was the best travel fight would merely be over seas and mine being the Aus companion. materialthings likeMum's satin tralian bush. Drewmeticulouslyrecprded party frocks or Nanna's old It was when I was living in the progression of his HIV ill stellies. Victoria that learned through ness. Aside from his involve Drewdidwellat high school his letters of the gay related ment in policy and service pro and moved on to teachers col- immune disorder and how it vision for fellow PLWAs he ' . Talkabout September/October 1991 5 A planned forhis own future.