I find it extremely difficult to write about something as anger-provoking as what recently happened in Hershey, Pennsylvania, especially with World AIDS Day being only two days ago. How ironic it is that after all these years this issue once again has risen to the forefront of the Hiv/AIDS world. I am beyond livid that the Milton Hershey School of Hershey, PA chose to bar an Hiv+ 13 year old male student from attending their school on the uneducated, prejudiced basis that his prescence at the school could put his fellow students and the school faculty members at risk of contracting the disease. When I read all about it I instantly thought of Ryan White, as well as the Ryan White Act of 1990, which makes it illegal for any school to ban any student who has a medical disability, even those who are Hiv+, from getting an education.
This just totally blows my mind, to the point where I myself have begun to wonder if I can even handle writing about it However, whenever I feel the need to pounce on evil bad-doers, I think it's always a very good idea to process all (or as much as is humanly possible at the time of one's decision-making inroads) the information before inadvertently jumping to conclusions.
After reading several articles on the subject earlier this afternoon, as well as the comments by various readers which accompanied said articles, as well as discussing the issue with several of my Hiv/AIDS activists friends, more than one of them posed the posibility that perhaps the Milton Hershey School is kinda antsy, even nervous, that because the teenage boy is Hiv+ that they may be worried about having to foot his medical bills, which I personally disagree with because as expensive as Hiv medications are, there are many kids out there who have such diseases as cancer, diabetes, lymphoma and the list goes on and on, that also cost a pretty penny medical bill-wise, yet you never see any press realeases from the Milton Hershey School pertaining to those children, so why should it be any different with a child who happens to be Hiv+?
That's the problem right there - it shouldnt. Plus, on top of it, the kid is a smart cookie and an excellent athlete, so if anything, the Milton Hershey School would actually have more to gain by accepting him into their educational institution. What part of that are those allegedly educated hoodniks over at the Milton Hershey School not comprehending?
Yet another issue those barbarians over at the Milton Hershey School are concerned about is that since their students live with each other - in dormitories, I assume - there's nothing stating that the 13 year old boy couldnt give the disease to his housemates. And there's nothing stating that he would. Look, if the kid is as smart as everyone says he is, I very highly doubt that he's going to irresponsibly expose anyone he comes into contact with, with the Hiv virus. Let's face it, the Milton Hershey School officals do not have a leg to stand on and for everyone out there who says "Well, they're a private school so they can make whatever rules they want and nobdy can do anything about it!!" then we, the people of the United States of America need to enact an addtional clause into the Ryan White Act of 1990 that clearly and unquivocally states that NO PRIVATE LEARNING INSTITUTION MAY BE ALLOWED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANY STUDENTS SEEKING ADMISSION INTO THEIR SCHOOL BASED ON ONES MEDICAL DISABILLITY AS WELL AS WHATEVER PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION THEY MAY HAVE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER SEEKING ADMISSION INTO THE SCHOOL.
Although all of this is fairly new news for most of us, another thing I wonder about is how did the Hiv/AIDS activists who are based in that area of Pennsylvania, react to this news and what, if any, measures and/or public protests do they plan to launch in response to it? Remember you guys & gals over there in Pennsylvania, we're not just talking about an act of discrimination committed against a fellow Hiv'er, we're also talking about a group of ignorant, close-minded adults who decided to pull this bullshit on a kid. On a kid. Remember how we all banded together in unity on all the gay-teen suicides which took place in October, 2010? Well, now it's time to get off our asses and stand up for this Hiv+ teenager. I mean it, because if we dont, it's like saying that all the bullshit that Ryan White and his family went through all those years was okay and sorry, it most certainly was NOT okay.
Aside from us pulling together and seeing what we can do to assist in correcting the situation for the sake of that young man and his educational future, there's one more thing I'd like to add to the list. We, the members of both the Hiv/AIDS and/or GLBTQ communities worldwide, need to stand up and IMMEDIATELY BOYCOTT ALL HERSHEY CORPORATION PRODUCTS AND THEIR VARIOUS DIVISIONS UNTIL THIS UPCOMING SITUATION IS RESOLVED, UNTIL IT IS PUT INTO WRITING THAT THE MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL WILL NEVER AGAIN DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANOTHER HIV+ STUDENT - EVER. Actually, that should apply to every private school in the United States of America as well as the rest of the world, but one battle atta time folks.
Oh, and when it comes to this boycott, I dont mean to just abstain from buying your favorite Hershey candy bar when you're stopping by to gas-up your car or when you're doing your weekly grocery-shopping, I mean ALL products made and/or manufactored/owned by the Hershey Corporation, both here in America and in Canada and overseas too. I'm serious. People need to start doublechecking their labels when they go grocery-shopping because this is one of those times when attention to detail will make all the difference in the world. C'mon, y'all wanted HivSpice to jump on those bandwagons to boycott both Wal-Mart and Target this past year, well, now it's time for y'all to scratch my back for a change. I mean it. C'mon, y'all wanted me to step up to the plate for you guys & gals, so now it's time for you to return the favor.
Believe it or not, in my storage unit in the midwest, I have a small plastic tote filled with some magazines that really meant the world to me when I first read them - and still do. One of them is a magazine with Ryan White on the cover and it told his whole story, not just how he was a hero to so many of us in the battle against Hiv/AIDS, but how he always stood up against any adversity in life just to be able to enjoy the simple things in life that so many kids take for granted - like being able to simply go to school and get a good education. I remember looking at that very same magazine about 5 or 6 years back and thinking to myself "Dont worry Ryan, what you went through in your lifetime will never ever happen again."
I refuse to stand by and watch that young 13 year old teenager in Pennsylvania slip through the cracks of an educational system that apparently does not have his best intersts at heart - he deserves to have the same exact opportunities that his peers do, and the same exact ones which Ryan White fought so fervently for. In all the time I've been writing this blog I have insisted that folks stand up for or against this-n-that issue; but, this one single time I'm not insisting on anything. This one single time I will take the liberty of, as well as reserve the right, to demand that both the national and interntional Hiv/AIDS communities and the greater GLBTQ communities boycott the Hershey Corporation and all its divisions until this injustice, this travesty of a decision to bar that young Hiv+ boy from attending the Milton Hershey School has been permanently overruled. Thank you for listening and thank you for reading.
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