You know it is a sad fact that I am an adult that grew up in the era of AIDS. I was pre-teen when the disease was discovered and named. I was infected intentionally when I was 19 years old and saw the devastation that it caused. The fear, ignorance, discrimination, death, drug trials, epidemiology, homophobia and all of the stigma. Most of all I remember the lack of hope. Having lived through some of the worst parts of the AIDS epidemic and watching it kill so many people, many friends, I learned that there were a lot of people that simply did not understand that this disease could just have easily been spread through the heterosexual community as it was through the homosexual community and been many times more devastating.
I think that the stigma that befell our community did so much damage, but, in a way, it brought us together too. In no time in history was so much money put together so quickly to find a cure and hope faster for such an efficient killer. Something that we'd never seen before was fought with so much love and hope for a new kind of virus that ate us alive from the inside where our love was so strong. Humanity has been fighting other diseases for much longer without nearly as much success. Now, in 2017, we are fortunate enough, to live in a world where the disease has become understood, manageable, preventable and soon to be cured, but there is still ignorance surrounding the disease that allows it to exist in a world of homophobia and inequality: Case in point, Palm Springs, California and the Palm Springs Police Department.
It is untrue that "most gay men have HIV/AIDS" Chief Reyes. In Palm Springs, that has become so "normal" that I honestly believe he thinks that might be the case. That is the "Lisa" Syndrome, that he has lived under for years and years. The reason that the Police Chief has some kind of impression that "all gay men have HIV" is because all of the gay men that Laurie was snitching on and calling the cops on were electronic harassment victims that she, allegedly, made positive with her own virus, and put in jail. Wouldn't that stand to reason? She knew about them because of her implantation of RFID devices and she knew of their HIV status because of her own poisonous solution in her own blood. If she would stick an electronic device in our bodies, why wouldn't she stick a virus in our blood? Why in the world would this police chief ever think differently. He knows she listens to her conversations with us, he even asked me if she was listening in to a conversation with me once. What in the world is he thinking?
The stereotype that all gay men are promiscuous and have HIV is a ridiculous notion. I went to sleep at a friend's home and woke up raped. The police chief knows that is true. He can say whatever he wants about it, but the truth is that there is nothing promiscuous about that. It's the same as when he goes to sleep at his own home and wakes up in the morning. If he did this and woke up bleeding with HIV infection he would be furious and confused. If his child had this happen, he would be angry. If another police chief told him that there was nothing that the police could do about it, he would be a father that was critical of the police and how they didn't care. I don't understand how any father or police officer can know that this kind of thing is happening and not know that it is horrible. It is a gay bashing and an attempt at murder. It's not just experimenting on another human being, it is bashing their head in and putting a killer virus inside of them...there isn't anything sexual about that. Many of us are chosen because we are safe sex people. We aren't chosen for our promiscuity, we're chosen because we are not promiscuous enough for Laurie.
The sad fact of the matter is that what we are not is what she wants us to become. She wants us to become soldiers in a war of hopelessness. I know so many men that were artists, teachers, workers, college graduates and so many good guys that she took their livelihoods away from them to become dependent on disability payments and unemployment. Nobody works in Palm Springs because they have to get on HIV meds after they go for treatment. It is a requirement. We are the marginalized and arrested that she lives off of for medications to keep her from getting sick. It's a roller coaster of keep away from Laurie and her brother. You have to look for work, but while you are out, you have to keep them out of your home. While you are at work you have to be sure your roommate isn't letting one of her minions into your bathroom to steal your meds. There is just so much theft and deception.
Then there are the streets of Palm Springs. Nobody wants to walk outside. If you go outside you will get arrested. When Laurie is after you, you know it. Police cars on every corner sometimes. Warm Sands is one cold place to live. I've had a gun drawn on me and held five inches from my face for simply walking home. Non threatening manner...just walking. I was scared shitless. A real gun. I did not move at all! I couldn't believe the aggression that was used! I'm like the most mild mannered guy you've ever known. I could just see my head getting blown off by some adrenaline cop. It was awful.
It's all ignorance and fear. The police don't talk about what Laurie is really like. They don't understand her aggressive nature! They don't know what she is really doing. You think that since you've heard her kiss your asses that you know her, but you don't know her like we do. We know someone much different. You think we're all afraid of her too. We're not!!! She's a bully and there are a lot of us that have had enough of her bullshit. The reason she doesn't live there any longer is because so many people have had it with her and know who she is. She calls herself "Jessica" and nobody likes Jessica...she knows its true. I advocate non violence and peace, but there are a lot of people that don't. There are some drug dealers that she's done some pretty bad stuff to that don't want her around any more. What I've done is a good job of keeping them at bay. They'd rather see her go to jail than get ahold of her in person. I've told them all that violence will only get them in trouble. She threatens them anyways.
I can keep the peace for so long, but when the police won't do their jobs and I can't get a peaceful solution, then people will eventually get tire of my "peaceful solution" option, I fear, then none of us is going to be happy. I will always seek a just answer. If she returns to Palm Springs, you can bet I won't be effective as a peace maker...I've done my best at this job for a long time.
