The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has affected many sectors of society and has especially altered the gay community. Because of the epidemic, the public perceptions towards homosexuality have been transformed by the fear of the disease. In their struggle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, mainly white gay members of the community have rallied together and politicized their presence. However, minority ethnic groups such as the African Americans and Latino continue to engage in risky sexual practices. In this paper, the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on different groups will be described and examined.
According to different polls to assess public attitudes towards the gay population during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it appears that the public had not altered their opinions on certain issues because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The public continued to show tremendous support for the First Amendment rights and employment rights for gay people (Herek, 1997, pp. 202-3).
However, increasing numbers of people opposed the legalization of homosexuality during the mid-eighties (Herek, 1997, 203). Furthermore, the public has tended to stigmatize the behavior of gay men during the early phase of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In their perceptions, gay men deserve to get AIDS because of their sexual activity. In fact, they are associated with drug users. In addition, the public has also established a strong connection between AIDS and homosexuality. To the public, gay men having sex, regardless of their practices and their health status, are likely to contract AIDS (Herek, 1997, p. 211).
Nonetheless, the AIDS crisis has also provided public exposure of the lives of gay individuals who have previously hidden their sexual identity from their families. The mass media has also allowed the public to see first-hand the unusual lives of many gay people's lives. The collaboration between the gay community and the public institutions in the fight against AID...