It's My Party

On Saturday, I watched "It's My Party" with Margaret Cho, Lee Grant Gregory Harrison (as Brandon), Marlee Matlin, Roddy McDowall, Oliva Newton-John, Bronson Pinchot, Eric Roberts (as Nick), a 1996 production about a gay man suffering from complications of AIDS. I tend to shy away from movies on AIDS, these days, but as I was watching and crying my eyes out (I can cry at the drop of a pin), I realized how many AIDS related movies, I'd seen over the years.

Here's a list of movies on AIDS that I have seen:

An Early Frost, 1985
Parting Glances, 1986
Longtime Companion, 1990
And the Band Played On, 1993
Philadelphia, 1993
Jeffrey, 1995
It's My Party, 1996
Love!Valour!Compassion!, 1997
Angels in America, 2003

Reflecting on them, I also realized how important they are in reminding people that the epidemic isn't over. As more and more people are living longer with HIV and AIDS, fewer people consider the disease the death sentence it once was. Unfortunately, even with the medicines that are out there prolonging the lives of people with AIDS and HIV, it is still a disease that we should be fighting vigorously and we should have no qualms about telling it like it is: AIDS is a killer. Life with HIV or AIDS is not the life you want to lead. Protect yourselves at all times. Live life safely.