Practicalmadness

Salon Premium is running a story about how the Southern tendency toward denial, indirectness and euphemism -- i.e., anything but just coming out and saying it -- is making the South the United States's fastest-growing hotbed of AIDS infection.

"This big African-American came into the free clinic where I was conducting studies," said Novick. "And I asked him the standard questions, one of which is 'Are you gay?' His response was so menacing it actually scared me. 'I'm no faggot,' he snapped. 'You calling me a faggot?'!

"After he calmed down, once I established some trust, I asked him nonchalantly if he had sex with men. 'All the time,' he said. And that's when I knew my whole approach had to change with minorities."

Part of the reason for this is attributed to a proportionately much larger African-American population than in the rest of the country; however, the author then goes on to examine how talking frankly about sex and AIDS -- something New Yorkers (for example) have no problem with that is absolutely abhorrent in Dixieland -- can be the first, best line of defense.

(Salon via Gleaner)