“It has taken away my armor my shield/ But I hadn’t realized how strong I had become” Doc 4 A deadly epidemic has created both controversy and a stronger sense of identity. The AIDS epidemic caused a huge polarization among the gay community; there were those who became more courageous and those who grew […]
In Act 2 Scene 9, Roy Cohn makes an interesting observation about the power of labels. When his doctor tries to get him to openly admit to being homosexual he refuses adamantly and responds, “Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual so identified fit in the […]
My friend recently found out that his boyfriend was diagnosed with HIV, and I was surprised by how he talked about it. “HIV isn’t really a big deal anymore. You can live with it, and the government pays your rent. But it kills you psychologically.” He spoke about the idea of living with the knowledge […]
Since finishing Sula last week, the story, its characters, and the person I perceive in the author have stuck in my thoughts. In fact, I’ve found some fascinating commonalities between Toni Morrison’s novel and the play by Tony Kushner, beyond the fact that the two writers share a first name. While reading the former, I […]
One of the worst aspects of an individual contracting AIDS is dealing with the public stigma associated with the disease. Even today, a great deal of misconception surrounds those with HIV and AIDS. Surprisingly, the highest risk group is women over the age of 50, as believing that they are past the age of menopause, […]
They say death does not discriminate. And, for the most part, it’s true. Death comes for all of us one day. Most of us don’t know when that day is and most of us live with the knowledge of our imminent death on the backburner of our conscious. But there are some individuals—the sick, the […]
1980’s New York at the height of the AIDS crisis feels, within the context of the play, like the last days – the characters both fear an apocalypse and hope for humanity’s absolution. The supernatural elements of the play reflect this, with celestial beings struggling with the decision of mankind’s ultimate fate. On an individual […]
