HIV alters the lives of anyone that it touches, whether they are gay or straight. This book looks at all of the aspects of how HIV/AIDS has altered the lives of those it touches. . . . The titles of the 12 chapters give an excellent overview of what is covered in these extremely well-written reports. . . . This is a must-read book for everyone. It should be in all libraries, including school libraries. Young adolescents who are facing the problem of coming out would benefit from this book. --AIDS Book Review Journal Hit hard by the AIDS epidemic in the United States and in much of Europe, the gay and lesbian community has been forced to examine existing notions of what it means to belong to a community based on sexual orientation. The editors of this second volume in the annual series Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Issues have collected a perceptive array of chapters that explore sexual behavior, personal identity, and community memberships of gay men and lesbian women. With the exception of a few, the chapters reflect study findings from AIDS-related research and include discussions of AIDS in large urban centers and in less populated settings outside of major AIDS epicenters. Focusing on underconsidered AIDS populations, the contributors explore specific topics concerning the AIDS epidemic among gay and bisexual men of color, lesbian women, and gay and lesbian youth. Accessible and sensitive, the book also examines relevant public policy, volunteerism, and long-term survival as important to AIDS awareness and education. AIDS, Identity, and Community is an appreciable resource for AIDS researchers and caregivers, mental health practitioners, social service professionals, behavioral and social science students, and any reader who seeks deeper insight into the complex and subtle areas of the lesbian and gay community in the AIDS era.

This title presents a dozen perspectives on how the AIDS epidemic has altered notions of belonging to a community based on sexual orientation. Drawing mostly from AIDS research among gay men and lesbians, they explore sexual behavior, personal identity, and community relationships. Some consider areas of low AIDS incidence, people of colour, and youths as specific groups.

Camcorder AIDS activism is a prime example of a new form of political expression--an outburst of committed, low-budget, community-produced, political video work made possible by new accessible technologies. As Alexandra Juhasz looks at this phenomenon--why and how video has become the medium for so much AIDS activism--she also tries to make sense of the bigger picture: How is this work different from mainstream television? How does it alter what we think of the media's form and function? The result is an eloquent and vital assessment of the role media activism plays in the development of community identity and self-empowerment. An AIDS videomaker herself, Juhasz writes from the standpoint of an AIDS activist and blends feminist film critique with her own experience. She offers a detailed description of alternative AIDS video, including her own work on the Women's AIDS Video Enterprise (WAVE). Along with WAVE, Juhasz discusses amateur video tapes of ACT UP demonstrations, safer sex videos produced by Gay Men's Health Crisis, public access programming, and PBS documentaries, as well as network television productions. From its close-up look at camcorder AIDS activism to its critical account of mainstream representations, AIDS TV offers a better understanding of the media, politics, identity, and community in the face of AIDS. It will challenge and encourage those who hope to change the course of this crisis both in the 'real world' and in the world of representation.

Presents a chronological selection of Watney's writings from the 1990s, with new contextualising introductory and concluding essays and offers a chronicle of the changing and often confusing course of the epidemic.

To date, the majority of HIV/AIDS research has concentrated on education and prevention for those with a seronegative status, while studies of HIV positive individuals have been concerned with their potential to infect others. The Endangered Self however, focuses on how the discovery of an HIV positive status affects the individual's sense of identity, on the experience of living with HIV and its effects on the individual's social relationships. In this comparative study of the UK and US, Green and Sobo explore identity change and the stigma attached to an HIV positive status within the context of the sociology of risk. Chapters discuss issues such as: *identity, social risk and AIDS *stigma *living and coping with HIV *the danger of disclosure *reported reactions in health care settings and sexual settings *risk and reality *seropositivity. The Endangered Self will be of interest to all those infected with HIV and to their families, partners, friends and caregivers who are affected by it. It will be essential reading for health-care professionals and those studying medical anthropology, sociology and health and risk studies.

Europe's "Black Death" contributed to the rise of nation states, mercantile economies, and even the Reformation. Will the AIDS epidemic have similar dramatic effects on the social and political landscape of the twenty-first century? This readable volume looks at the impact of AIDS since its emergence and suggests its effects in the next decade, when a million or more Americans will likely die of the disease. The Social Impact of AIDS in the United States addresses some of the most sensitive and controversial issues in the public debate over AIDS. This landmark book explores how AIDS has affected fundamental policies and practices in our major institutions, examining: How America's major religious organizations have dealt with sometimes conflicting values: the imperative of care for the sick versus traditional views of homosexuality and drug use. Hotly debated public health measures, such as HIV antibody testing and screening, tracing of sexual contacts, and quarantine. The potential risk of HIV infection to and from health care workers. How AIDS activists have brought about major change in the way new drugs are brought to the marketplace. The impact of AIDS on community-based organizations, from volunteers caring for individuals to the highly political ACT-UP organization. Coping with HIV infection in prisons. Two case studies shed light on HIV and the family relationship. One reports on some efforts to gain legal recognition for nonmarital relationships, and the other examines foster care programs for newborns with the HIV virus. A case study of New York City details how selected institutions interact to give what may be a picture of AIDS in the future. This clear and comprehensive presentation will be of interest to anyone concerned about AIDS and its impact on the country: health professionals, sociologists, psychologists, advocates for at-risk populations, and interested individuals.

AIDS is precipitating a fundamental re-examination of societal attitudes toward not only intimacy, but the way we think about ourselves, others, and government. This slim volume by the Dean of the School of Law at Yeshiva University raises well-reasoned questions on the broad ramifications of these changes. "As AIDS in its second decade becomes more and more a matter of class and race,'' Price says, a careful balance must be maintained between the individual, the church, and the state in areas of media, education, medicine, sexuality, privacy, and discrimination. We should prepare, however, for the likelihood of greater governmental intervention to preserve individual rights.