Eaying Tribute

The following editorial originally appeared in the Valley News
and is reprinted with their permission. (The original story is re-
printed on page 8 of this issue).

1 Under normal circumstances, Monday’s story in the Valley
‘ News about the memorial service for Charles Kurtz would have
I been the kind that readers often welcome. Yes, it was about a

man who died too young. But is was also about his circle of
friends coming together and coping with their loss by paying
him tribute.

But the circumstances weren’t normal. Kunz died of AIDS. And
he was openly homosexual. After the story ran, we received sev-
eral complaints from readers upset about its tone, content and
placement.

The complaints, we fear, highlight a disturbing facet of the
country’s attitude toward the AIDS epidemic. There seems to be
a strong sentiment that certain people who have the HIV virus
deserve our sympathy because they are truly “victims.” They
contracted the disease through blood transfusions or from their
parents’ blood and therefore shouldn’t be held responsible. And
then there are those who became ill because they behaved ir-
responsibly; they had unprotected sex or used drugs intra-
venously with contaminated needles.

Some of this reflects the widespread prejudice that still exists to-
ward homosexuals. AIDS is still regarded by some as a “gay
disease.” Some even regard AIDS as a type of punishment for
those who live lifestyles that they hold to be immoral of dis-
tasteful.

It’s naive, perhaps, to hope that people can be exhorted to over-
come their prejudice. But one would hope that if ever there was
an experience that provided a common ground for all human be-
ings it would be death. A fatal heart attack is not an occasion to
criticize a person’s fondness for fatty foods; news that a person
has lung cancer shouldn’t prompt censure for tobacco addiction.
Even assuming that a person’s homosexuality is ground for op-
probrium, which we don’t, death from AIDS is not a time to cast
judgment. It is a death, and it should be grieved, pure and sim-
ple.

The story about Kurtz’s memorial service wasn’t simply an
“AIDS story.” It was about a young man who, upon discovering
that he had a fatal disease, refused to feel sorry for himself and
did what he could’ to help others confront the disease. It was
about a man who faced death with dignity, humor and courage.
We believe such stories are intrinsically compelling.

And instructive. The fact of the matter is that the disease is
claiming more and more lives. And it is taking the lives of peo-
Dle in the Upper Valley. What’s significant about that is not that
they are necessarily homosexuals, heterosexuals, drug users,
non-drug users, adults or children. It is that they are our friends,
neighbors and family. Y

May 1992

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