In this time of revisionist history, when all kinds of people become heroes upon death, I challenge people to take a step back.

I feel for the family and friends of Ronald Reagan, especially for his wife, who cared for him so lovingly through the last few years. However, it is impossible to shut up about all the harmful effects of the Reagan era, effects that are still felt to this day. This is not about disrespect, this is about refusing to over-respect.

AIDS was first reported in 1981, but it took six years for Reagan to make himself address this deadly plague that had already claimed 30,000.

The Reagan administration's response was tainted with conservative Christian ideology that saw AIDS as God's punishment to gays. His Director of Communications, Pat Buchanan, called it nature's revenge on homosexuals. William Bennett (Secretary of Education) and Gary Bauer (domestic policy adviser) put up insurmountable roadblocks in the way of AIDS research.

Some may say "that was then, this is now." But now, things are not better. The influence on politics of the extremist Religious Right has grown. The government continues to fight condom distribution and HIV/AIDS education. AIDS prevention programs targeted at HIV-negative gay and bisexual men have been replaced with b.s. "abstinence only until marriage" initiatives, while these same forces seek to ban all hope for marriage for gay people. All this while millions across the world are dying.

Where's the respect and National Day of Mourning for their struggles and their deaths? How ironic that Reagan should die on the 23rd anniversary of the first official report of the first recognized cases of what would later be called AIDS, and that June is lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender pride month.

T.J. Jourian
student affairs administration graduate