W I L·D ME N! ! ~.,. ,.....~Rs Chip Duckett presents MARS NEEDSMEN / Sundax Nights at Mars / Dancing/Go-Go Boys/Drag Queens/Live Bands/OJ s Michael Connolly, Larry Tee,Perfidia & John Suliga/West Side Highway and 13th Street DOORS OPEN 9PM Theater PrivaJes On Parade 51 Film Cookie 52 Music Celebrate Brooklyn 54 Political Science (Harrington) 32 Books Serious pleasures . 56 Books Idols 57 On The Cover: Outspoken (Editorial) 4 . Koch by Donna Binder Letters 6 Impact Visuals Sotormyor 6 Nightmare of the Week 7 Xeroxed 9 Sandor Katz 33 lookOut 42 Out Of My Hands (Ball) 44 KOCH'S FAll FROM GRACE Gossip Watch (Signorile) 45 Sandor Katz: The Decline Of The Ineffectual 'Heterosexual' Social Terrorism (Conrad) 46 Obituaries 59 Larry Kramer: Why I Think Koch Is A Pig 38 Community Directory 60 Classifieds 61 THE PROMISE OF DAVID Personals 64 David Kirby On Dinkins And You 40 Going Out Calendar (X) 72 Best Bets (X) 76 Crossword (Greco) 80 Hex Shex (Conrad) 82 "PEEK-A-BOO" IT Just When You Thought It Was Safe... 44 JOIN UP, SIGN UP, GET UP Kirby and Rotello Act Out The Up Factor 48 HOT PROSPECT IN THE PARK SORRY, I'VE GOT A HEADACHE Hattie Gossett Mona Feigenbaum's Ten Reasons Why She Can's Date You 49 See page 54 OutWeeJi What's going on here? On the one hand, we are presented with imperfect but growing evidence that new treatments exist to prevent the onset of full-blown AIDS in HIV infected people. AZT, DOl, aerosolized pentamidine and bactrim are touted as being break- through drugs, and that's great. But on the other hand, these· treatments are unavailable to the vast majority of those in need. Clinics that can monitor people's T-cell counts and begin time- ly preventative care are full and accepting no more patients. Aerosolized pentamidine programs are not set up in local hospitals and may not be for a year or more. AZf isn't paid for by Medicaid until a person's immune system (and bank account) is so depleted that the full preventative benefits can no longer be realized. T-cell testing is prohibitively expensive for most. It seems an almost deliberately cruel hoax that the govern- ,ment feels free to dangle the prize of health to the HIV-infected and then withhold that prize to most. It's especially bizarre con- sidering that the cost of prophylactic care, even given Burroughs-Wellcome's criminal price gouging for AZT, is still far less than the government's inevitable financial burden when it ends up caring for those who fall to the full onslaught of AIDS. So what's the deal? How can our "leaders" be so stupid? The answers are the same as they have been since the begin- ning of the epidemic: inertia, homophobia, racism, stupidity, cheapness, cowardice, passive genocide. The same responses that groups like ACT-UP have mounted against these horrors in the past must be escalated to new heights, because now with effective treatments in existence but unavailable, the battle is more than ever one of life and death. We stand at the verge of a huge potential disaster or a well-deserved salvation. While 100,000 have already been diag- nosed with AIDS, many, many times that number are fast approaching that bleak condition. Although the new therapies aren't perfect, although scientists show their contempt for us by ruling through press releases instead of published studies, although legitimate questions are unanswered and drug compa- nies continue their gouging, nevertheless a clear concensus is emerging: Pre-AIDS is becoming treatable and full-blown AIDS often preventable. To take advantage of this situation people must strive to take control of their lives and their health by getting tested or monitoring their T-cell counts. But testing and monitoring are useless, and can be psychological disastrous, without subse- quent access to treatment. If it takes a revolution to achieve such access for all, never was a revolution more justified. T 4 OUTTWEEK September 11, 1989 N FEDERALTAX. N TATE TAX. N IT .TAX. IF YOU EARN IT, WHY NOT KEEPIT - ALL 100% OF IT? You can with an investment in a New York Tax-Exempt Income Fund. And you get safety, affordability and liquidity too. 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ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP TELEPHONE· HOME BUSINESS CHRISTOPHER, STREET FINANCIAL, INC. 80 WaU Street, New York, NY 10005 Member Securities Investor Protection Corporation Member National Association of Securities Dealers ---------------------------------------------~ LETTERS .1he Real Deal ments placed by GMHC sug- The Gay Men's Health gested that people "think Crisis' decision to change about..: getting the HIV their policy on HIV antibody antibody test "because if testing has serious Implica- you test positive, now there Gulf In Tomchln'. Iy the stuff of leadership. How tions In regards to access to are choices.' Drugs such as Resolution? U"lattractive.Howfrightening. health care services for All and prophylaxis such as I riwa-tS read letters and Larry, right or wrong, at minorities, women, the unin- aerosolized pentamidine to articles by Larry Kramer least brings up serious,timely, sured, gay/bisexual men "prevent some AIDS-related because I coo alwa-tScount relevant Issues. If Tomchln's and adolescents. Illnesses' as well as monitor- on their anger, criticism and responseto him Is representa- In principle, there Is no Ing your immune system passion(as wei as ther word- tive of the GMHC board's attl- question that the HIV anti- using diagnostic testing, nessmd abrasJveness)-senti- tude, that's all the more body test Is a reliable and specifically T-cell subsets, ments I hope I shae with him. reason to give Larry'saitlcisms useful first step towards were given as the com- n you 4 September Issueyou careful consideration. assessinga person's need to pelling reasons to seriously print his newest attack on One of the rare times begin early treatments for consider taking the HIV anti- GMHC followed by GMHC Tomchln makes a concrete HIV disease. However, to body test. Although these Boad PresidentJ~ Tomc:hln's point n her letter Is something date there Is an extreme three areas are important, response(Xeroxed,Sept.4). I can personally respond to. shortage of primary care, they are expensive, not Idon't know if aUof Larry's She says, "...we often survey crucial for medical manage- readily available and repre- criticisms are valid, but I do the people we serve to find ment and monitoring of HIV- sent only one component of know that Ms. Tomchln out how we can do more.' Infected' people, and the total medical manage- responded with hot dr. Herlet- Oh, really? I've been a. severely limited access to ment of people who are HIV ter Is nothing but endless, GMHC client for four and a health care services for the seropositive. People with HIV bland and meaningless half years and haven't once majority of populations at risk Infection require compre- rhetoric,filed with se\f-congrat- been sllVeyed. for HIV/AIDS. hensive medical services uatlons ood gloatk"lg,and sklrt- Craig Rowland The advertisements and delivered by providers ng aI of LaIY'spohts. It'shad- Manhattm public service announce- expert In determining the 6 OUrYWEEK September 11, 1989 subtle changes In health sta- group that at the press con- It is unfortunate that Hetrick-Martin Institute tus due to HIV disease. There ference to announce the GMHC is perceived by the Rodger MacFarland are a variety of symptomatic policy Change, GMHC's media as the spokesperson Vice Chairman, Bd.of Dir. treatments available for encouragement of HIV anti- for the AIDSservice commu- AIDSResource Center many of the medical prob- body testing would be cou- nity, especially in light of the lems associated with HIV pled with a statement extraordinary response Getting Over Get Over It which often occur in the demanding that Mayor mounted by the lesbian and I thought that OufWeek early stages of infection. For Koch keep his promise to gay community at large in was a magazine for all of example, many HIV seroposi- make health care services regards to AIDS. If GMHC New York's lesbian and gay tive people have dermato- available to every New York- had strongly emphasized the communities. Yet your edito- logical conditions, fungal er who needs them. GMHC is lack of access to health rial "Get Over It" (OutSpo- infections, gastro-intestinal not an expert in the planning care services that people ken, August 21 issues) complications, other viral and implementation of need if they test HIVseropos- seemed to be written as if syndromes such as herpes health care delivery systems. itive then at least they would only the most privileged and cytomegalovirus and Even when funding is avail- have complete information among us were reading it.