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The rest of the story
Ignoring the AIDS link does an injustice to David Brudnoy’s memory — and to all of us
BY DENISE MCWILLIAMS

Ever since the sad news about WBZ Radio talk-show host David Brudnoy, who died last Thursday at age 64, I have been reading, listening to, and agreeing with people’s comments about his intelligent and humorous observations on the state of the world, and about what a loss his absence will be to the city.

I’ve also been getting increasingly annoyed.

In an article published the week he died, the Boston Globe reported that Brudnoy "since 1994 has waged a series of victorious and sometimes miraculous fights against HIV and unrelated cancer." More recently, I heard on the radio that Brudnoy died from cancer.

Brudnoy died from complications of Merkel cell carcinoma, a fairly rare cancer found more often in those with depressed immune systems (including people with AIDS) than in the general population. In light of that fact, it’s unlikely that Brudnoy’s cancer was not related to AIDS.

I don’t understand the rush to "de-AIDS" Brudnoy. As recently as September 2004, in a Globe op-ed piece, he wrote about having sex; he wrote about having AIDS. Brudnoy was clear: he was a gay man with AIDS. What’s the problem?

The public relationship with AIDS has been cyclical. First, it was a dreaded illness that sane people did not acknowledge having. Then, it became an event, a more poignant version of the ’60s "happening." Now, as more-effective medical treatments allow many AIDS patients to live reasonably healthy lives, fewer people are admitting to having AIDS — even in their obituaries. AIDS is better understood, better treated, and supposedly better — and more compassionately — accepted than ever before. Yet there have been celebrity deaths in the past few years, such as that of photographer Herb Ritts, that were never publicly linked to AIDS even though it was well known to be the cause of death.

Before the advent of more-effective treatment, there were many who helped give AIDS a public face: Ryan White, Pedro Zamora, Elizabeth Glaser, Michael Callen. We knew them and their families, heard their jokes, and shared their fears. Now, people who are more removed from the epidemic no longer have their prejudices challenged by exposure to those who are living full lives with this serious illness — and who are doing it publicly.

I’ve not had that kind of distance. Unfortunately, I have known far too many people who have died from AIDS. And, even if few of them could match Brudnoy’s unique combination of erudition and wit, the death of every single one left an irreparable rip in the fabric of the universe. Regardless of who they were or how they became infected, these folks were well worth knowing and mourning.

Now, in this latest cycle of the epidemic, silence may no longer lead to death, but it does lead to alarm and shame — leaving those living with AIDS in fear and isolation. There is not much the media can or perhaps should do when a celebrity does not wish publicity around his or her AIDS diagnosis. But to ignore the candor of a Brudnoy is to miss a huge opportunity to make human the face of AIDS.

Fred Friendly, one of the giants of journalism, said, "Our job is not to make up anyone’s mind, but to open minds — to make the agony of decision-making so intense that you can escape only by thinking." The media is in a unique position to bring home the complexity of life, depriving us of the comfort of facile conclusions.

Sadly, journalists shrank back from opening minds, by pretending Brudnoy’s fatal illness was something unrelated to his AIDS diagnosis. Rather than depicting the real image of a widely loved and respected public figure struggling with a still-unacceptable disease, the media defaulted to the easy story, the more palatable diagnosis: cancer. An opportunity to confront fear and prejudice has been lost.

Brudnoy’s life was a gem and his death is a loss. But grant him the dignity of his whole life — not the laundered version. He deserves it and there are others who need it.

Denise McWilliams is director of public policy and legal affairs for AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.


Issue Date: December 17 - 23, 2004
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