From The Ashes ...

The lady doth protest, too much....

Read this, come back.

I understood already that the italics portion of this post came from a much longer discussion thread posted elsewhere. (I had been actively following it for a while.) That's not the point. The point is that you took two little sentences from an extremely lively (and apparently vicious), lengthy discussion about HIV+ escorts and plopped them down in the middle of a page with no apparent reason or discussion to follow. I never once accused you of doing this maliciously. I did, and still do, think it was foolish and just plain lazy. I'll leave the debate about whether it was "intriquiging" or not to others. (that was mean)

Further, at no time in the original discussion thread was this individual characterized as a person with AIDS. Indeed, the original discussion was triggered by the fact that another escort had just learned his friend had seroconverted to HIV+. It was you who opted to then turn around and characterize him as a PWA. Believe me, the man already has a lot to deal with notwithstanding some in the gay community and their disparaging attitudes regarding escorts, now we'll add on all the new prejudices he's about to encounter being HIV+. And here you go and convert him again in print as someone with AIDS. And it's because you do indeed have readers that this kind of thing concerns me. If someone that isn't well educated on the subject reads the original thread where this man is HIV+ then reads on your blog he's now a PWA how could they not infer HIV+ = PWA? If that's not how you meant it I'll take it as more evidence of a lazy, ill- informed post. Rather, I'm thinking you let a little of your own prejudice leak on to "the page."

"As a volunteer for (sic) local AIDS prevention group,...."

I liken opening a sentence with that to:

"I can't be a bigot, we donate to the NAACP."

Yes, it was an extremely lengthy and at times exhausting discussion to read, and yes you did provide a link to that discussion, but if you can't take a look at what you posted (or rather failed to post, or rather incorrectly posted) and see it was at best half-assed if not downright prejudicial, then I'm just sorry. For you.

Oh, and cloaking yourself in the robes of another courageous HIV+ man just to make yourself seem less lame? Truly lame.