DiscrimiNATION

After reading “Tiara” by Mark Doty the first time, I was confused. I got the impression that the poem was referring to someone who was gay, or maybe a drag queen, or perhaps even transgender because of the reference to the love of “royalty, sashes, and jewels” and the person being in the casket in “a big wig and heels”. I was really intrigued by this poem so I decided to look it up and dig up some more information on it. I learned that it was originally part of an anthology called “Poets for Life: Seventy-Six Poets Respond to AIDS”. With this knowledge, the poem started to make a lot more sense.

                Having grown up in a middle class, primarily white, conservative suburb just south of Denver, HIV/AIDS was not really a topic that was addressed so I honestly was not aware that there was so much blame placed on people who have AIDS, saying, as is stated in the poem, “he asked for it.” From what I understand, this attitude largely stems from misunderstandings about how AIDS is contracted. For example, the misconception that AIDS is always contracted via sexual acts, that it affects only gay people, and that it stems from infidelity. One thing that all of these misconceptions have in common is that they are not topics that people are typically comfortable discussing. Especially not a whole bunch of straight, white conservatives. So, it’s no wonder I was more than a little sheltered from all of this growing up.

HIV Statistics in the US

                It blows my mind, though, that people can think that someone “asked for” AIDS, as if they did something to deserve it. Unless a heterosexual person is perceived as “slutty” which is typically applied to women and not men (which is another topic for discussion in and of itself), if they contract an STI, a stigma isn’t applied to them. They aren’t seen as “tainted” or “ruined”, this stigma typically doesn’t last forever, and they are not turned away from receiving medical treatment. Working in the ER at Texoma Medical Center we see lots of people who come for STI checks and no one bats an eye. We don't make assumptions about their sex lives, we just give them treatment, and everyone moves on with their lives. However, for those affected by AIDS, being denied healthcare due to their “condition” is a very real thing and these people don't have the luxury of just getting on with their lives as being diagnosed with AIDS can affect every aspect of an individual's life - from work to family, and everything in between. According to the People Living with HIV Stigma Index, approximately 1 in every 8 people with HIV are not given medical treatment due to the associated stigmas.

               

The World Health Organization notes that fear of stigma and discrimination are the primary reasons for which people are hesitant to get tested for HIV to begin with and it seems they have every right to be reluctant. If you thought you might have HIV but you knew that even if you got tested you still might not receive treatment, would you feel motivated to get tested? Probably not. Keep in mind that discriminatory behavior towards people affected by AIDS is a global issue. A lot of these misconceptions are held by more than just the common person, even medical personnel in many countries hold these stigmas.

                I think another important part of Doty’s poem is addressing the fact that desire is natural. The last few lines say, “what could he do, what could any of us ever do but ask for it.” Whether our society likes to address this fact or not doesn’t make it any less true - everyone has desires. It is only natural for people to have sexual desires and to reach out for human contact. Who is anyone to judge how someone chooses to fulfill their desires? Contracting HIV is not a form of punishment, just like STIs are not punishment. They are both things that happen to many people and they are both things that should receive medical treatment void of judgement and discrimination. Through better education on HIV/AIDS, I think it is very possible to lessen the discrimination of those that are affected worldwide.