Countdown to

Hot Target

12/27/04

Gay 101

1 days (and counting to Hot Target, in stores tomorrow, December 28th)

Note from Suz:  First, the winners and the answers to the 4th trivia quiz!

The winner of Trivia Quiz #4:  Know Your Villains is:

Katie Disher

Katie answered all the questions correctly, including the tie-breaker number!  She won signed copies of The Admiral's Bride AND Get Lucky!

Congratulations, Katie!

Trivia Quiz #4:  Know Your Villains 

1. What physical mark was common to the terrorists associated with the Merchant?
Tattoo of a stylized eye on the back of the right hand  (THE UNSUNG HERO, 126)

2. What was the name of the drug lord who tortured Jones in Thailand?
Nang-Klao Chai   (OUT OF CONTROL, 306-308)

3. What characteristic of the Merchant did Tom recognize even after the terrorist had plastic surgery?  
a twisting motion he used to pick up his bag (THE UNSUNG HERO, 82) (we also allowed the Merchant's eyes as an answer!)

4. What were the first names of the Zdanowicz brothers?  
Otto & Misha  (OUT OF CONTROL, 329)

5. Name one of the aliases used by the terrorist that befriended Mary Lou in Into the Night?
Husaam Abdul-Fataah, Warren Canton, Bob Schwegal, Luke Daniels, John Manning, Doug Fisk  (INTO THE NIGHT, 458)

6. What were the Americanized versions of the names of the two terrorists who raped Gina?  
Al & Bob  (OVER THE EDGE, 136)

7. What was the nickname of the kidnapper who listened to the story that Eve told her granddaughter to calm her?  
The Bear  (THE DEFIANT HERO, 68)

8. Osman Razeen tells a local cop that Meg and Nils are taking him where...?  
To Disney World  (THE DEFIANT HERO, 239)

9. What is the alias that the Merchant used to check into the hotel in Baldwin’s Bridge?
Richard Rakowski  (THE UNSUNG HERO, 343)

10. What do the initials GIK stand for?  
Islamic Kazbekistani Guard  (THE DEFIANT HERO, 122)

11.  Pick a number from 1 to 100.
66 (Just one six short of the ultimate bad guy's number!  <g>)

Today, Eric has a conversation with my son, Jason... 

Eric:  What was your reaction to your Mom’s dedication in “Hot Target?”

Jason:  We both had a very teary-eyed moment.  It was really great to know she was that supportive of me.  I remember the conversation she referred to where I told her I thought I was gay.  I was really nervous, but at the same time, I felt secure enough that nothing bad was going to happen.  

Eric:  Do you see things changing for the better for gay people in America?

Jason:  More young people are angry at the older lawmakers who continue discrimination of all kinds.  You have to remember that progress is a slow process.  African Americans had their struggle for freedom, then voting.  Women had their struggle to gain the right to vote.  And these groups are still struggling for equality.  We have to realize how far gay Americans have come.  In the 1950s, you could not be out, because you could be institutionalized because it was considered a mental disease.  Now, everyone knows someone who is gay.  

Eric:  What do you like to read?

Jason:  I’m a big fan of plays because I love theater.  I especially enjoy stories that are light and happy.  There’s enough unhappiness in the real world.  I also love graphic novels like the X-Men.  Everybody feels like a mutant or an outsider.  And I love that there’s no prejudice in the mutant world.  There are white mutants and black, women, men, straight and even gay mutants.  

I also love Piers Anthony, the Oz children’s books, and I especially love Alesia Holliday’s  “American Idle.”  I love that TV show...

Eric:  Do you have any heroes?

Jason:  It’s always changing, but right now it’s Jon Stewart and everybody who works on his show.  They are all wicked funny.

Eric:  What’s the most important thing for the parents of a gay child to know?

Jason:  He or she is still your kid.  It doesn’t matter how they may choose to look, dress, do their hair -- or who they want to be in a relationship with.  If you don’t think you could love your child if they might end up being gay, then you shouldn’t have children.  If you loved them before they came out, why would you stop loving them just because they were gay?

Gay 101:  Tolerance is a Fabulous Value!

What about HIV/AIDS?

            While AIDS initially spread fastest among gay and bisexual men, and drug users who shared needles, all people and communities now face the threat of AIDS. 

            Therefore, every parent needs to be concerned about HIV/AIDS— whether your child is gay or straight.

            You should make sure your child understands how AIDS is transmitted and how to protect him or herself.

            With teenagers becoming sexually active at younger ages, and with AIDS still spreading, no parent can afford to ignore the danger or assume his or her child is safe.  

The above is from:  http://www.pflag.org/publications/OurDaughtersandSons.PDF 

What about HIV/AIDS?

Since the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, many people have viewed HIV/AIDS as a gay issue. The GLBT community mobilized early in the epidemic to formulate a response that included educating communities, creating visibility to reduce stigma, developing prevention strategies and advocating for appropriate care and treatment options for People Living with AIDS (PWAs). Yet the epidemic has continued to progress and take its toll on many communities globally. Still, despite overwhelming statistics documenting the spread of HIV/AIDS in other communities, many people still choose to view HIV/AIDS as a gay issue. 

The truth is that being GLBT does not give you AIDS. Certain sexual practices, certain drug use behaviors and other factors can put you at risk for catching HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, as well as other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Everyone needs to get the facts about HIV/AIDS.

HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and/or syringes (primarily for drug injection) with someone who is infected, or, less commonly (and now very rarely in countries where blood is screened for HIV antibodies), through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected during birth or through breast-feeding after birth. While research has revealed a great deal of valuable information, a lot of false or misleading information, often fueled by homophobia, continues to be shared widely through the Internet or popular press, so be sure to consider the source when educating yourself about HIV/AIDS. More information about HIV/AIDS.  (This link is to the CDC.gov website!)

The above is from:  http://www.pflag.org/support/faq.html

• Every hour of every day, two young Americans between 13 and 24 are infected with HIV
• 51% of all new HIV infections in the US occur in young people under 25.
• More than 25% of new HIV infections in the US are contracted by teenagers.
• Every year, 44,000 Americans are infected with HIV.
• Heterosexual intercourse is the fastest-growing population of new HIV infections in the US.
• Women comprise the fastest-growing population of new HIV infections in the US.
  • Women are 8 times more likely than men to contract HIV from one act of intercourse.
• More than 75% of high-school students have had sexual intercourse by grade 12.
  • More than 20% of 12-grade students have had more than 4 sex partners.
  • More than 50% report they do not always use condoms.
• There is no way to know whether an individual is HIV-positive simply by looking at him or her. Disease symptoms may not occur for up to 10 years after infection.
• More than 711,000 cases of AIDS had been reported to the CDC since 1981. More than 420,000 Americans have died of AIDS.
• 4,000,000 teens in this country are infected each year with a sexually transmitted disease.
• The Federal Government allocated $135 million in FY 2003 for abstinence-only until marriage education up 83% from the previous year.  The proposed allocation for FY 2004 is $270 million with NO funding for comprehensive sexual health education.

 (Source for the above: Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Family Foundation)  Link source: http://www.mothersvoices.org/ 

That's all for now!  Be sure to come back for tomorrow's FINAL installment in the Countdown to HOT TARGET.

See you tomorrow.