#aids tw

[clannadmark]

nigel, the survivor of rabies and chronic addict

she's not just addicted to sweets now. is all i will say.

wanted to change her to be more sickly looking and sorta take some creative liberties with the whole "rabid squirrel" thing, making it more of a disease similar to hiv/aids where if found early can merely be a chronic illness in remission rather than a terminal illness. also she's emo now lmao

[swampgallows]

this really wasnt that long ago, man.

[whatsbehindthefacade]

@songandflame continued from here

Dying was nowhere near as glamorous as the movies made it seem.

Angel wasn't stupid. They were dying. Maybe not this time, though they weren't holding out too much hope, but it would be sooner rather than later. It was a fact that she'd come to terms with a long time ago. And maybe there was a tiny part of her that had hoped to hide that he'd been feeling under the weather from Collins, one last hopeful bid to protect the man he loved from knowledge of the inevitable, but when things had gotten worse instead of better, that hadn't been an option anymore. As it was, Collins had barely left his side, and their other friends were constantly in and out, freshly painted blue nails a sign of Mimi's presence.

Now though even Angel was struggling to find her usual optimism, not with the way every inch seemed to tremble and ache. He was exhausted. Everything hurt. Even the gentle press of a warm washcloth to their forehead seemed to only sooth a little of it. Brown eyes cracked open at the words, so horrifically young, and when they spoke, their voice cracked a little, "H-Hurts..."

[lumberjackloverboy-moved]

Man i know this is gonna sound mean or whatever but as someone of the aroace spectrun i just refuse to. Involve myself with the aroace community after being here back in like 2013 when ace and aro bloggers made jokes that were just straight up horrible and homophobic, specially had a bad time trying to id as ace back then when all i saw was ace ppl make jokes like "gays are getting a*ds while i am eating cake" those were just to much for me and now i just can't relate to anyone else here

i can relate ughh. i feel like trying to talk abt my experiences gets sidelined or ignored to talk abt discourse instead and it is exhausting. i just want to be able to talk abt being alloaro, not be surrounded by defensiveness and aggression. it's exhausting and it's why i avoid the online community. but i will say, the online community on tumblr/twitter/tiktok is soooo diffrent from irl aro/ace/aroace spaces and i dont think you should lock the door on those places, i cannot recommend finding them enough

[ryanthedemiboy]

Idk I think Mark from RENT doesn't get enough love. There's this thing called survivor's guilt, and like. I get why people scoff and think it's fucked for him to be upset to be the only one of his friend group to not be on a time limit from HIV, but there's a very specific horror and devastation to that, which often goes un-talked about.

And I get why. I do. But... I think sometimes we should talk about the people left behind.

[ryan-sometimes]

Who were the lesbian blood sisters?

“Suddenly, the hospitals were full of lesbians who were volunteering. Volunteering to go into those rooms and help my friends who were dying. I remember being so moved by them because gay men hadn’t been too kind to lesbians. We’d call them ‘fish’ and make fun of the butch dykes in the bars – and yet, there they were.”

In the 80s, the AIDS crisis was devastating the world of GLBT people - as the acronym read at the time. Gay men were banned from donating blood, which was desperately needed by patients dying from AIDS. The fear around HIV was so great that doctors and nurses refused to even enter the rooms of AIDS patients. These patients were often abandoned by their families in their dying days. There was a crisis was in the GLBT community, and so lesbians stepped in.

Lesbians organized blood drives in order to give blood to AIDS patients who desperately needed it. These blood drives attracted dozens, if not hundreds of lesbians at a time who all donated their blood. They called themselves the Blood Sisters, and they organized regular blood drives for at least 4 years. HIV patients needed frequent blood transfusions due to anemia induced from the virus, and so lesbians provided this blood.

In addition to blood drives, lesbians also took place as physical caretakers for gay men with AIDS, who were often abandoned by their families and even nursing staff who refused to go into their rooms. Lesbians held hands, fed, and took care of them.

In order to honor the efforts of lesbians during the AIDS crisis, the GLBT acronym was changed to LGBT, with lesbians deliberately at the front. Lesbians were a crucial part of the fight against AIDS, and this change would immortalize it in our community.

[azuremist]

“Unfinished Painting” — Keith Haring

This painting was left intentionally incomplete. Haring began it when he was dying due to complications from AIDS, and knew he didn’t have much time left. The piece represents the incomplete lives of him and many others, lost to AIDS during the crisis.

“AIDS Memorial Quilt” — Multiple

This quilt is over 50 tons heavy, and one of, if not the, largest pieces of community folk art. Many people who died of AIDS did not receive funerals, due to social stigma and many funeral homes refusing to handle the deceased’s remains, so this was one of the only ways their lives could be celebrated. Each panel was created in recognition of someone who died due to AIDS, typically by that person’s loved ones.

“Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) — Felix Gonzalez-Torres

This pile of candy weighs the same amount as Gonzalez-Torres’ partner, Ross Laycock, did. Ross Laycock had died due to AIDS-related complications earlier that same year. Visitors who see this piece are encouraged to take some of the candy. As they do so, the pile of candy weighs less and less, like how AIDS had deteriorated the body of Ross Laycock.

The SF Gay Men's Chorus

This photo was taken in 1993. The men in white are the surviving original members. Every man in black is standing in for an original member who lost their lives to AIDS.

“Electric Fan (Feel it Motherfuckers); Only Unclaimed Item from the Stephen Earabino Estate, 1997” — John Boskovich

After the death of his lover, Stephen Earabino, from AIDS, Boskovich discovered that his family had completely cleared his room, including Boskovich’s own possessions, save for this fan. An entire person, existence and relationship had been erased, just like so many lives during the AIDS crisis. Boskovich encased the fan in Plexiglass, but added cutouts so that its air may be felt by the viewer, almost like an exhalation. In a sense, restoring Earabino’s breath.

“Blue” — Derek Jarman

This was Jarman’s final feature film, released four months before his death from AIDS-related complications. These complications had left him visually impaired, able to only see in shades of blue. This film consists of a single shot of a saturated blue color, as the soundtrack to the film described Jarman’s life through narration, intercut with the adventures of Blue, a humanization of the color blue. The film's final moments consist of a set of repeated names: “John. Daniel. Howard. Graham. Terry. Paul". These are the names of former lovers and friends of Jarman who had died due to AIDS.

“Untitled” (Perfect Lovers) — Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Created by the same man who created the previous untitled piece, this piece was also inspired by his lover’s deterioration and death due to AIDS. This piece consists of two perfectly alike clocks. Over the course of time, one of the clocks will fall out of sync with the other.

In a letter written to his lover about the piece, before his lover’s passing, Gonzalez-Tourres wrote, “Don't be afraid of the clocks, they are our time, the time has been so generous to us. We imprinted time with the sweet taste of victory. We conquered fate by meeting at a certain time in a certain space. We are a product of the time, therefore we give back credit were it is due: time. We are synchronized, now forever. I love you.”

Please feel free to reblog with more additions

[charlie-artlie]

I think the death weirdos should hang out

[critterbitter]

The electric wonder duo and lightning boogaloo go skating in Castelia City! Meanwhile, Ingo and Litwick add flavor text from the safety of the sidelines.

(I think the gang take photos, little snapshots of memory that they look back on fondly.)

Masterpost for more clown shenanigans!

[catboymoses]

I know this might hurt to hear for some but the ending of Falsettos is the necessary climax and conclusion to all of the men's character arcs.

Bill Finn didn't write it just to be a downer ending. He wrote it so Marvin would have to overcome his misogyny and take on a caregiving role and so he could learn to rely on his family for support.

He wrote it so Whizzer would have to overcome his pride and allow himself to be cared for and loved. To bring him and his family together.

He wrote it to knock Mendel down from his g-d complex. To show him he doesn't have the answers, that he has to help his family process their feelings instead of just pretending everything is fine.

He wrote it to teach Jason to give up his king, to concede, to learn from his mistakes. To teach him about being a man.

Whizzer's death happens at the end of Jason's bar mitzvah because it symbolizes all four men finally growing up. Becoming men. It is their final step out of falsettoland. Ignoring the ending robs them of their growth.

[thatsleepymermaid]

Quick post on what's happening in Atlanta right now

So there's this beautiful trail in Atlanta called the South River Forest Trail. As we all know, Atlanta Georgia is renowned for their tree cover and historic forests. 

The City of Atlanta and corporations like Delta, AT&T and Amazon are funding a massive police training center that will destroy the forest.

Dubbed ‘cop city’ by many protesters, this will cost about $90 million  to build. This will be used to further militarize Atlanta’s police leading to more incidents of police brutality in the city. 

On January 18th indigenous activist Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran was shot and killed by the police for defending this historic forest from destruction. Their reason? “He did not comply” (Tort went by They/them/it but report said “he”). Many protests have been going on in Atlanta to defend this forest.

Since Tortuguita's death, the situation has quickly deteriorated

This forest is very dear to me but I am unable to physically protest at the moment, so I am handing this off to Tumblr to spread awareness. Rebloging this may help this tragedy become part of national news instead of just an Atlanta problem.

Donation and petition links to stop cop city

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stoptheswap2020

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/no-cop-city-atl/

https://defendtheatlantaforest.org/solidarity

[amtrak-official]

I'm just going to post the video archives of AIDs Protests that I can find because I think that seeing the people fighting for their lives helps people to realize how recent it was and how it still affects them to this day

[plague-parade]

i love you canes i love you crutches i love you walkers i love you rollators i love you manual wheelchairs i love you power chairs i love you mobility scooters i love you white canes i love you hearing aids i love you prosthetics i love you braces

i love you mobility aids

[permanently-sprained-ankle]

“I’m chronically ill, not drug seeking! I don’t want to be mistaken for an addict trying to get opiates in the emergency room!”

I totally understand not wanting to be mistreated, bullied, and denied treatment, or being misdiagnosed with a disorder you don’t have (in this case, substance use disorder). It shouldn’t happen, period.

The problem is when chronically ill people act like they’re better than addicts just because they themselves are going to the ER for a “real” reason. (If you don’t do that then I’m not talking about you)

Have you considered that the addicts and “drug seekers” shouldn’t be treated that way also? They too are seeking medical treatment for a disorder and/or withdrawal. Everybody deserves adequate treatment, yes, even if they are doing so because they are addicted to a substance.

[Image ID: White text in a Galaxy background reads If you: Derail my posts; are an “aspie”; run a sh/ed blog; are under 16; are a TERF; think cripplepunk is for mental disabilities; think that autism isn’t a disorder; are pro-transabled, trace, transage, etc; are pro-map or pro-zoo; are a transmed; want to completely demedicalize autism, I will probably block or mock you. End ID]

[chronicallycouchbound]

People who use drugs deserve love and kindness.

Abstinence is not the only form of recovery. AA/NA doesn’t work for everyone. Sometimes people choose to use instead of meeting other needs, which is valid. Some people use for recreational purposes. Some people use for medicinal purposes. Some people who use have substance abuse disorder. Treatment looks different for everyone. Not everyone needs or wants treatment, for various reasons. The only thing Naloxone enables is breathing. Active use is not shameful. People who use drugs often also deal drugs. People in recovery should not shame active users. Active users deserve love. Active users deserve someone to check in on them, get them safer use supplies, and get them pizza. Active users deserve to be listened to. They deserve better than to have that be the first time anyone ever treated them as human since they began using.

Let’s care for each other.

[ryan-sometimes]

As a queer Gen Z, I constantly think about how there’s such a huge chunk of the queer community that’s simply… missing. So much of the queer community died during AIDS that almost an entire generation of us is simply not there anymore.

Those queer people were supposed to be our teachers, our mentors, maybe even our parents or grandparents. Those queer people were supposed to be there for us. They were supposed to be at pride events, welcoming all the young queers. They were supposed to be representation in our careers. Those people were supposed to be there to help us navigate life as queer people, and it’s devastating for both us and them that they never got to do it.