The Rejection of the Disease by New York City Citizen in The Normal Heart

New York is famous as one of the world greatest cites of the copulation of many different ethnics, social status and race, also culture. It is not a peculiar thing for many communities can gather and create a new post for them to feel more comfortable. With more communities accumulate, theoretically there will be more problems that surfaces inside these big or small communities or between other community which more or less have the same problem. The same act also happened during the HIV outbreak in New York City. According to an Interview Archive by Dr. Simberkoff, one of the chief of staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Medical Center, who was a member of the Infectious Diseases staff in 1980 and one of the first medical researchers to treat AIDS patients. He stated that the first outbreak was associated with gay male-related immunodeficiency disease which at that time was hardly known about. Gay and homosexual are closely related with a marginal by many of mainstream residents of New York City. Among them are drug addicts and prostitutes. Human has a nature to be afraid of something that they don‘t understand. In the early 1980, the HIVAIDS treatment was underfunded and uneven. As stated in the GMHC history timeline, as late as 1986, the Reagan Ronald Reagan, the 40 th President of the United States of America administration continue the pursue the public that this plaque only threatens the life and largely attack homosexual men and drug users. In the Normal Heart, the depiction of this event can be seen in scene 9 of the play. NED. Keeping us down here in some basement room that hasnt been used in years. What contempt BRUCE. Im sorry I let you talk me into coming here. Its not the citys responsibility to take care of us. Thats why New York went broke. NED. What were asking for doesnt cost the city a dime: let us meet with the mayor; let him declare an emergency; have him put pressure on Washington for money for research; have him get the Times to write about us. BRUCE. The Mayors not going to help. Besides, if we get too political, well lose our tax-exempt status. Thats what the lawyer in your brothers office said. Kramer, 1985: 57 The meeting room in the City Hall is a perfect expression of the author as an act of protest in describing how gay men situation at that time. In the state of emergency and crisis, the government didn‘t do a lot to help them. When Ned and Bruce asking for a meeting with the mayor, the first chance they got is in a basement of the City Hall instead of an office. There are too many situations that does not help gay men whatsoever. The author tries to recreate the first event of the GMHC with government officials in the play. How heteronormativity is accepted in the government office. There is this great fear surrounding the New York City officials concerning LGBT. NED. All Im asking for is the use of your name. You dont have to do a thing. This is an honorary board. For the stationery. BEN. Ned, come on — its your cause, not mine. NED. That is just an evasion Kramer, 1985: 45 In scene 6, when Ben, Ned‘s brother asked to be the honorary board member of GMHC is one of the point that cannot be taken lightly. Ben still consider the epidemic of gay men is not of importance. Especially if his name go to public whereabouts. From the whole scene 6, Ben didn‘t deny that he still thinks homosexual is a disease. BEN. Ned —you can be gay and you can be proud no matter what I think. Everybody is oppressed by somebody else in some form or another. Some of us learn how to fight back, with or without the help of others, despite their opinions, even those closest to us. And judging from this mess your friends are in, it‘s imperative that you stand up and fight to be prouder than ever. NED. Can‘t you see I‘m trying to do that? Can‘t your perverse ego proclaiming its superiority see that I‘m trying to be proud? You can only find room to call yourself normal. BEN. You make me sound like I‘m the enemy. NED. I‘m beginning to think that you and your straight world are our enemy Kramer, 1985: 47 The last monologue of Ned indicates his hotheaded and easily offended character. From the dialogue above, Ben stated that everybody is oppressed in many form and it is a matter of choice on how you fight within considerable limitations. According to Ned, he is doing what Ben say but it seems that Ben cannot see his brother struggle and gay men struggle to be part of the world not part of the problem in the world. Ned says ―straight world‖ which he emphasizes not only Ben , but the whole country doesn‘t approve gay sickness and its importance.

C. The Rise of Gay Politics in The Normal Heart

In The Normal Heart, the audience or the reader of the play are given a journey of how HIVAIDS slowly developing from an unknown, small hospital disease into a huge and deadly epidemic. According to the play, the rise of gay politics does not directly relate with the rise of HIVAIDS itself. Instead, the rise of gay politics and all of the political aspects comes as a form of struggle from a handful of people towards HIVAIDS. Ned Weeks is a character who deliberately described as the author projection and a form of protest. Ned Weeks have traits that prominent than other characters on the play. He is hotheaded and outspoken person in the surface. These traits give a sense of urgency in a way to solve the gay men problems that other character does not have. Bruce Niles gives a different perspective on how most of the gay people perceive HIVAIDS. He is also a symbol of how most gay men with a position act and sought to fight HIVAIDS with discretion and conflict. The character Bruce Niles plays an important role in the play. In order to seek each point of view weaknesses, the role of an anti-hero is given to Bruce. What Bruce Niles goal in his time as the president and activist in the play is simply to raise the awareness towards HIVAIDS for gay men around him. In time, Bruce‘s way of democracy and political view does not have much impact on the community or society. While Ned‘s approach is more direct in conflict and outspoken causes GMHC to split in the goal. Ned realize that in order to fight for their rights, the most effective way is from the political stand. Bruce is try to avoid political areas and agendas. He chooses to keep do what they do best, which is the center of gay community in help those who infected with the disease. In July 3 rd 1981, The New York Times published an article regarding the rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals. Although the government declared as an official epidemic on June 5 th 1981, the first ever congressional hearings of