[Article: A queer and present danger] Page: 1 of 8
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February 1988
IPage 61
William B. Appleman, L.PC.
C ndrice J_ Marcum.L.P.C.a.d161: J. ,I .II ..
inividual, couple and family therapy
3636 N. Hall St., Suie 723
Dallas, Texas, 75219
(214) 521-1278 -I
...with Mike Richards
by Jan Nunley - -
Jan: In Randy Shilts' book And The Band Played On." he talks in
terms of "there was before, and there was after AIDS." What was
"before" like in your life? -
Mike: Before AIDS in my life, I had just become comfortable with
myself as being a gay man, and was very excited about educating
the overall community about who gay people were, dispelling the
myths about homosexuality. I didn't know what direction I was
going, it was new for me, even though I had always been involved
in politics. I was basically involved with the repeal of our sodomy
law. In 1982, that began to change. After AIDS, it became even
more obvious that there was discrimination against gay people. In
the early years of AIDS, .1981 to 1984, it was clear that people
didn't seem to care about people with AIDS. They were outcasts of
society, and that was verywdisturbing, to watch people become ill,
and lose their jobs, and watch their families disappear. Before
AIDS, I was optimistic, and even after, but then the tremendous
political crunch came down: Gays -being blamed for spreading
AIDS, which wasn't the whole truth. And we're just now beginning
to see more awareness and involvement. It's very sad that AIDS is
a big political ball game. I don't deal well with compromise when
we're talking about people's lives, or civil rights either. Hopefully,
things will get better, but they could get worse as more people are
diagnosed in Texas and Dallas. I'm continually amazed at how un-
aware people are of AIDS, their fears of casual contact. it's just
amazing how many people still' ask those basic questions and'I'm
just afraid there's more of them than there are people who've been
educated. ..
Jan: You were instrumental in the founding of the AIDS Resource Cen-
ter - It was your "baby', from the beginning. -
Mike: Well, I don't honestly feel like the "papa" of the AIDS
Resource Center, even though a lot of people refer to me that way!
The Resource Center wouldn't have happened without many people
working together and coming up with ideas on how to address the
AIDS crisis. I'm proud of the past and present boards of the Dallas
Gay Alliance for their commitment to raise money for AIDS and
provide services for the entire Dallas community. We are certainly
demonstrating to everyone, gay and straight, that we are human
beings, we are compassionate, we do care about people and we are
going to provide services to anyone that needs help. I'm proud that
I've been a part of that, and of the direction that we're going."-._ .
Jan: Given that AIDS afflicted the gay community first, and that the
gays have responded first to it, Do you fear that there'll be an attempt
to "de-gay" AIDS? -....-- .-.
Mike: We talk about that term, and we can't "de-gay" it because it's
still primarily affecting gay men in this country. I don't ever wish
to "de-gay" it, but it is not a gay disease and in those terms I would
like to "de-gay" it! I want to see other people involved, and hope
that they would see that proper medical care is provided to gay
men as well as children, minorities, and heterosexuals who get
AIDS. We're seeing a lot of energy spent on other people and we
still don't hear very much about gay men and that really concerns
me. In October of 1985, the AIDS Action Council talked about the
AIDS "industry" that the gay community has created and the value
that that's going to be for this country and the world. I hope that
we get credit for it. .
Jan: What's the major effect that this disease has had on your life?
Mike: I really have not had time to think about that because I've
been interested in other people. I'm not afraid of dying, and I
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Dallas Gay Alliance. [Article: A queer and present danger], article, February 1988; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc916492/m1/1/: accessed June 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.