Swamp Reflections

I doubt there is a gay man in America who doesn’t know someone affected by the challenges of addiction (especially crystal meth) and HIV infection. This HuffPost GayVoices commentary by John-Manuel Andriote is a poignant reminder of how far we have to go in creating communities where stigma and shame are rendered impotent. How far are we from a society where we truly care for one another, especially the “least among us”? Having lived in gay-friendly DC for two decades, this line struck a chord (emphasis added):

Even in 2012 it is damned hard to be a gay man in America. For all the progress we’ve made toward almost being treated as equal, there continue to be daily challenges — particularly for those of us who haven’t constructed our lives in a way to exclude others who aren’t gay.