In 1983, Larry Kramer published an article entitled “1,112 and Counting” in the New York Native – a bi-weekly newspaper for the gay community. Kramer begins the article by noting that gay men are at risk of, essentially, becoming “extinct” due to the AIDS crisis. He specifies the rise in cases, specifically in the New York metropolitan area. He explains what doctors know, but focuses on what they don’t know and the known causes of AIDS. He also notes that, because gays and bisexuals were the majority of those infected, they were deprived of the medical attention that say, straight white men would get if it were a “straight white man” disease.
This artifact applies a number of rhetorical concepts and through these, utilize a number of rhetorical functions. The utmost important concept applied to this article is Kramer’s use of exigency. At the time of publication, AIDS was considered a health crisis among gay men. It was something people knew about but were not talking about and he brings light to the severity of the disease and the lack of attention it was garnering. Through his written address, Kramer differed from the heteronormative view of aids at the time, he called on personal resistance, he rids of alternative memories like those formed from the AIDS crisis in Haiti and acts as an activist for those without a voice.
The exigence, the urgent need for this article, may be the clearest concept portrayed throughout this artifact of queer rhetoric. By the end of 1981 – the year in which the immune deficiency disease was “discovered” – there were 270 reported cases of the disease among gay men and of those cases, 121 individuals died. Foss writes that “the rhetorical situation, in sum, is complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence” (Foss, 75).
The term AIDS was not used by the Center for Disease Control until September 1982.
By 1983, the disease continued to take its toll primarily on gay men. Kramer published his article in March 1983 – when there were 1,112 reported cases of the disease – at a time when urgency was the driving force that caused people to understand and help combat the disease.
His article was equal parts informative and persuasive; he gives understanding to a disease that, to many, was unfamiliar and shows the importance of combatting a disease that was taking thousands of lives from something many see as a medical epidemic.
Exigency was the force that prompted the writing and publication of this article, and many more at the time. The exigency spread beyond other gay men in the New York metropolitan area, but throughout the entire country no matter one’s sexual orientation.
Throughout his article, Kramer portrays ideas of personal resistance through his words directed at both gays and gays affected personal by the AIDS crisis. Of all his empowering statements, one sticks out to most readers. Kramer writes, “Our continued existence as gay men upon the face of this earth is at stake. Unless we fight for our lives, we shall die. In all the history of homosexuality we have never before been so close to death and extinction. Many of us are dying or already dead” (Kramer, 1).
His statement is a call to action to gays not only in the New York Metro area, but all over the United States. He uses, what is almost considered a fear tactic to scare people into realizing a change is necessary. In Brookey’s text, he mentions the civil rights movement and sexual revolution of the 1960s, a time in which people began to “resist the man.” Those movements provoked personal resistance and “oppressed groups began to examine how they had been subjected to discrimination and social prejudice” (Brookey, 208) With his article, Kramer prompts an effort of personal resistance from both suffering gays and those without the disease not long after Brookey released his text.
For a length of his address, Kramer advises the audience, his readers, to get involved with the gay community to help tackle this crisis and to reach out to their representatives and legislators to make a positive change for those suffering, those at risk, and those silenced. He states: “But it is time for us to be perceived for what we truly are: an angry community and a strong community, and therefore a threat. Such are the realities of politics” (Kramer, 1). He voices his anger and speaks for the community in an effort to encourage them to retaliate and fight for their rights and their health, thus promoting an all-inclusive motion of personal resistance. Near the end of his article, Kramer simply states “If we don’t act immediately, then we face our approaching doom” (Kramer, 1).
Kramer acts as a voice to the voiceless and promotes activism for a silent minority, much like the bisexual activists recognized by Kathryn Nutter-Pridgen. Like any activist, Kramer does exactly what Nutter-Pridgen says they do by “understand[ing] the discourses of their opponents so that they can respond appropriately” and “deciding which issues they will address and which ones they will not make a focus of their work” (Nutter-Pridgen, 385). As previously mentioned, Kramer states his stance on the government and their lack of attention and funding provided for the AIDS crisis and focusses on changing those stigmas to create a shock wave and promote those changes in the community.
Nutter-Pridgen also focusses on the rhetoric of bisexual activist specifically and the rhetoric of bisexual activists also closely aligns with Kramer’s rhetoric. As noted by Nutter-Pridgen and discussed in my course, Studies in LGBTQA+ Rhetoric, bisexual rhetoric is relatively new. At the time of Kramer’s publication, AIDS was relatively new and activism and rhetoric surrounding the disease was few and far between. Like bisexual activists today, Kramer had to “transform[] and redeploy[] older discourses in important ways” (Nutter-Pridgen, 386). He does this by defying heteronormative views, promoting personal resistance through fear and ideas of empowerment and simply addressing the problem.
Arguably most importantly, Kramer strays from the idea of alternative memories that Chavez references in his article about AIDS in Haiti. Chavez notes that many Haitians almost entirely forgot about the wave of AIDS that had taken over areas of their country in the past and stresses the importance of “the revitalization of such memory is crucial for learning to build coalitions that address such complexities in the present and future” (Chavez, 66). Kramer does exactly that revitalization. Instead of sweeping an epidemic under the rug, he is straight forward, plain and simple. He depicts the seriousness of the AIDS crisis in the United States and puts down the government that is attempting to push alternative memories on the heteronormative citizens of the United States.
Unfortunately, at the time of this publication, because AIDS was so new, it was nearly impossible for Kramer to display an intersectional view. He was a gay man in New York addressing other gay men in New York. While he does acknowledge other identities that have been rumored to spread AIDS, like blacks, Haitians and drug users, and identities that have had “no confirmed” diagnosis’ like straight, white men he does not recognize how or even if they intersect in relation to this crisis. In no way is this lack of intersectionality Kramer’s ignorance, but rather the fault of the ignorance of the medical world and the government for ignoring the epidemic.
Through his address, Kramer helped to pave the way for LGBTQA+ rhetoric and activism as well as aid in the push for progress in AIDS medicine and policy. He was one of the first people to give a voice to the silent, those suffering and prompt a number of members of the LGBTQ community to speak out and speak up for what they believe in. In the years following his address, funding and talk about AIDS increased. Kramer was a pioneer in homosexual rhetoric. He gave a voice not only to the dead, but to the dying and to a silent community.
Through ridding of a heteronormative view, exigency, activism and personal resistance Kramer manages to push aside the current ideas of alternative memories and brings attention toward an epidemic that could affect millions of Americans if not quickly addressed. While there is no say on whether Kramer’s speech acted as an absolute catalyst in American government, it is safe to say that following his article, changes were made to benefit those suffering or at risk of contracting AIDS slowly but surely.
Citations:
Brookey, Robert. “Speak Up! I Can’t Queer You!” Morris, Charles. Queering Public Address. Columbia: The University of South Carolina Press, 2007.
Foss, Karen A. “Harvey Milk and the Queer Rhetorical Situation.” Morris, Charles E. Qeering Public Address. 2007.
Kramer, Larry. “1,112 and Counting” New York Native, 14-27 March 1983.
Buchman, Dana. “A Special Education.” Good Housekeeping, Mar. 2006, pp. 143-48.
1,112 and Counting 