Beginning with the uprising at the Stonewall bar in New York City in 1969, a new sense of freedom and pride reverberated across this country among gay men and women. Twenty-five years ago, the first cases of a strange "gay plague" were recognized in this country. In major city centers across the U.S., young gay men were diagnosed with mysterious illnesses that had previously only been seen in those with severe immunodeficiency due to cancer or chemotherapy. By the early eighties, much of the enthusiasm of the seventies gave way to fear, ignorance, and ostracism directed towards the lifestyle of those infected. Precious years were lost, during which education and prevention efforts might have changed the course of the epidemic. Worldwide, millions have died, tens of millions of children have been orphaned, and over 40 million people have been infected with HIV.

Thankfully, this past decade has brought hope to some of those who are living with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy continues to evolve, and many of those who are HIV-infected now have a chance to live longer more productive lives. Woefully, however, the benefits have been limited to a relatively small group of individuals in wealthier countries. Most of those who are HIV-infected around the world are not even aware of their infection, and most of those who are infected have no realistic hope of ever acquiring life-extending treatments. And, perhaps because of the failure to respond more forcibly in the early years of this epidemic, the virus has now made dramatic inroads to all sectors of humanity. men, women, children, gays and straights, injection drug users, hemophiliacs, and others.

Sincerely, 
Joseph Bick, MD
Co-Chief Editor, IDCR

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