AIDS Documentary Discussed on Washington Journal (Saturday)

[DemBones DemBones]

The documentary is called "The Gift" and is about the phenomenon of gay men embracing HIV infection as a gift, a gift they hope to receive through parties that facilitate sexual encounters between uninfected men and an infected man who is the "gift giver." The men who want to be infected are also called "bug chasers." I believe it was said that this trend started some five years ago; the documentary has been made over the past three years. Gift giving parties are held all over the world.

According to the filmmaker, bug chasers are not well-informed about the reality of AIDS and look upon HIV infection as a sort of badge of membership in the gay club. She pointed out that AIDS awareness programs use visuals of men who appear to be healthy, even glamorous, with a healthy-looking Magic Johnson being the poster boy targeting the African-American community. Gay Pride parades have more AIDS floats than anything else.

It was indicated that people aren't aware that although "nobody dies from AIDS anymore," AIDS patients are now dying from the medications they take causing liver damage and other problems. Apparently, many people have the idea that HIV infection won't cause them any problems for years to come and don't realize the side effects they'll have from medications.


I was stunned by this information, though I had read that more people are having unprotected sex now than in the earlier years of the AIDS experience.

Why are some people ignoring the public health message about avoiding HIV infection? Why are people engaging in such risky behavior, literally courting death? And can their behavior be changed?

Transcript for October 18 Washington Journal isn't up yet but the site is

http://www.c-span.org

[La_Serpiente]

1. That's fricking stupid

I'm gay and I've never heard of people like that. I don't know why people would want to ruin their lives to get AIDS. I have a number of theories:

1) It's a stereotype being purported by the right.

2) I don't know, but I would like to see some statistics on which demographic group would be interested in this because I sure the hell ain't.

3) I would want to check the credentials on these people. Who are they and what are their pasts?

This is just beyond me.

[DemBones DemBones]

4. The filmmaker said you can find out about the parties online.

You'd be better suited to investigating it than I am, since I'm female and heterosexual. The filmmaker seemd to imply that she was gay, for what that's worth.

It's just beyond me, too, but I would think Washington Journal would check the credibility of their guests. And some people engage in other very risky behaviors so maybe this is not so surprising if we compare it to some of those. It wasn't presented as a mainstream gay behavior.

[HPLeft]

5. The filmmaker is legit

I have a good friend, a gay man, who has been helping the filmmaker promote "the gift". Louise (I don't remember her last name at the moment) is definitely a lesbian, and has put all of her financial resources into making and promoting the film.

After seeing the film, Harvey Fierstein wrote an op-ed for the Times lamenting the way that the drug companies' ad campaigns have made becoming HIV positive look cool. From what my friend George tells me, Harvey's also becoming involved with the effort to promote the film.

"The Gift" is definitely not a right-wing creation, and from what the filmmaker says, a real behavioral phenomenon. I haven't met her, or seen the film, but I've probably spent 5-10 hours talking about the themes of the film with the friend who's helping Louise.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Your reply was very helpful to me as I was beginning to

wonder if I'd imagined what I heard and saw on C-SPAN. Thanks!

I checked Google and learned there are lots of groups, stores, books, films with "the gift" in their names but tracked down this film on the third page of hits. The film was made by Louise Hogarth and here is the website:

http://www.thegiftdocumentary.com/

There's a link there to Harvey Fierstein's article and several other reviews, etc.

This is an important topic for everyone to be aware of as anyone whose risk-taking behavior involves deliberate exposure to HIV becomes a danger to all of us, at least theoretically, but particularly to other gay men. It's clearly not mainstream gay behavior but it exists

[Bronco69]

2. I'm gay too

and I've heard of the bugchasers, but I don't know any personally. I think it's a myth started by the wingnuts.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. I saw the show

this morning. The story was shocking, to say the least. The lady who did the documentary said that we have not slowed the spread of AIDS and in fact, we are in the SAME place we were 20 years ago as far as educating the masses and preaching safe sex. Could that possibly be true? I hope not. Her story was frightening. The "Gift" parties are so, so....... foolish?