Bring Them Back
by Lisa King
A
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa King was a poet, writer, spoken word artist, and LGBTQ+ activist among many other titles such as punk renegade and creative passionate inspirational force. She grew up in a working class Boston neighborhood but left at 15, as her family would not accept her sexuality. She was a social justice worker, most passionate about advocating for queer rights, AIDS, and animal treatment. King has been featured in documentaries such as Slam Nation and Scnet uVa Butch, and in 1996 self-published a chapbook called “Eyes Blinking Backward.” Ms. King died in February 2006 at the age of 45.
B
BRING THEM BACK
Read by Alice
I want to wash myself clean in the blood of saints
the unknown martyrs
the innocent young
I want to swim in their blood and piss
to show them that I am not afraid
of the bodily fluids
that have become the poison of my generation
I would roll in semen of a thousand dead brothers
I will tongue kiss a million prostitutes
drawing the last drop of saliva from behind rotting teeth
I will suck the blood out of the syringes of every dusty junkie
I would stitch my skin onto all the quilts
that stretch from here to Washington D.C..
just to hear Sylvester sing again
to see a new Mapplethorpe photo
to watch Arthur Ashe march in the streets
with Haitian refugees
to know Steven Lawrence’s laugh
as we lift a six-pack from a party
to bring back Rock Hudson
so he can piss on Ronald Reagan
and make that motherfucker remember
that he is personally responsible
for the deaths of tens of thousands
to bring back Liberace
so he can shove a crystal candelabrum up George Bush’s ass
until that bastard screams
i’m racist and homophobic
and that’s why I did nothing about AIDS
I would do all this and more
just to slam the door on this insidious disease
so I can stop
watching my friends die
so bigots disguised as religious leaders will stop
claiming to know the truth about AIDS
the truth about AIDS is
if jesus were here today his blood would be tainted
and you would call him
unclean
Jerry Falwell
you would call him
enemy
Pat Robertson
you would both try to raise money
to buy the nails
T
THEMES
Stigma and Discrimination
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Stigma and discrimination are major issues experienced by those with HIV. In a study of countries with available data, it was found that over 50% of adults report holding a discriminatory towards people with AIDS [1]. Not only are stigma and discrimination dehumanizing to those affected by the virus, but also they are major barriers to preventing and treating HIV. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015 released updated guidelines for the treatment of HIV that encompass the need to diminish stigma and discrimination [1]. This addresses a 2014 study revealing that only 64% of countries reporting to UNAIDS have legislation to protect those with HIV [1]. The stigma and discrimination associated with HIV can be compounded for groups that are already marginalized because of their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or substance abuse [2].
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[1] Avert, “Stigma, Discrimination, and HIV,” November 7, 2016, http://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/stigma-discrimination
[2] International Center For Research on Women, “HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination,” N.d.
http://www.icrw.org/issues/hiv-related-stigma-and-discrmination/