Will the readers here be the last generations to remember Ryan White? This one slender quiet spoken boy did more to educate the country about AIDS than the entire United State Government did in the 1980's. The 27th anniversary of his death is this Saturday, April 8th, and I am heartened to see this story percolating up into the news cycle.
I think every gay man who has survived the ordeal of this horrible disease owes Ryan a debt of gratitude. He put the human face on something so many did not understand. Despite the hatred thrown at him Ryan was not a bitter person. If anything he espoused the real meaning behind being a Christian, something he was not afraid to speak about. There is no doubt in my mind that he was a hero...and still is.