Edward Koch and AIDS in New York City

Edward Koch was an American politician, lawyer and movie critic. He served in the United States of America House of Representatives from 1969-1977 and became the Mayor of New York City 1977. He was the 105th mayor of New York City and is considered one of the best mayors of New York City because he is credited with helping New York enter a period of fiscal prominence. Mayor Koch was considered to be very pro-gay and pro-lesbian rights but is thought to have majorly fumbled the handling of the AIDS epidemic while in office which some still have not forgiven him for. He is credited for shutting down the New York City gay bathhouses and straight sex clubs like Plato’s Retreat in response to the AIDS epidemic, which was significant in the fight for social justice but he was overall a failure in his response to the AIDS crisis. Many people who were well acquainted with Koch thought he was a homosexual however he never publically came out of the closet. At several key moments in his political career, he strategically pretended to be heterosexual, especially during his first campaign for mayor, when he appeared publicly with former Miss America Bess Myerson. This heterosexual charade seemed like something he was necessary to distract attention from the whispers about his alleged homosexuality while running for office. Despite his downfalls, he is still considered one of the great leaders of New York City and will always be remembered as such; many mourned his passing in February 2013.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system transmitted between people by the mixing of bodily fluids. It is an extremely deadly disease that has killed over thirty-six mi...

... middle of paper ...

...y, it is a disease where friends have to stand by and watch their friends die. The death toll of AIDS could have been reduced, many people believe, if it had been handle correctly. Although, when one thinks about it from Mayor Koch’s seat there was only so much he could have done. Koch never wrote or said anything that was malicious toward the AIDS community. Like many, it seemed he wanted to help but did not know exactly how to do it properly. Every move someone made when it came to AIDS was brutally scrutinized by both sides of the t so many politicians didn’t know what they could possibly do. The nature of this disease and the political ramifications drive home the overarching idea that the sexual is political because without the sexual nature of this plague it would not have been as difficult to deal with politically and millions of lives could have been saved.