Kruger - Get FAT, Don't Die (2)

Kruger begins by saying that in American culture today, people see weight loss as a good thing because it is associated with health and fitness. He says that weight loss in the gay society, particularly gay males, is a bad thing because they automatically associate it with HIV or AIDS even though they might not even have the illness.

He begins to explain that some of the reasons for weight loss are lack of energy from the illness, infections, nausea, diarrhea or change in the taste of foods caused by germs or medicines taken to treat the illness. He tells us that diet and nutrition play key roles to defend against the actions, effects and infections associated with HIV or AIDS.

Kruger relates all of this to a column called “GET FAT, Don’t Die!” that appears in the Diseased Pariah News, which is a gay-oriented magazine concerned with topics regarding HIV disease. This column recommends a high fat, high protein diet to “get all of your nutrients and stay fat” to fight the illness. So, losing weight or gaining weight when it comes to this illness is not about aesthetics but about trying to survive.

Kruger describes “GET FAT, Don’t Die!” as a self help column, humorous and as “survival literature” for those living with HIV and AIDS and to help them live as happily as possible. Although the column tries to be optimistic it equally speaks of the terrible side of living with those illnesses. The terrible side is not only the physical effects but also the social and emotional hardships that the infected gays and the non-infected gays must endure in society due to hatred and ignorance.

Would we show that hatred and ignorance to our own sister if she were anorexic and was “too thin”? Did she choose to be that way or to have that illness? No, just like a gay man who contracts HIV, he did not ask for that either. Neither of them should be treated like they are diseased and should be locked away somewhere so they don’t breathe on us or touch us. Would we show that hatred and ignorance to our own brother if he were gay and contracted AIDS? No, so we should not judge a stranger either. Any one of us might need a blood transfusion someday and could possibly contract HIV and need to fight to “GET FAT, Don’t Die!”