My name is Jes. I am a 22 year old professional young woman in Hunt Valley, MD. I do not have AIDS or HIV.
The first time I heard about Ryan White was in 1993. I was in fifth grade. I was enrolled in a Fairfax County Public School and Sexual Education (Human Growth and Develpment) was part of the 5th/6th grade curriculum. When we discussed Sexually Transmitted Diseases, AIDS was very breifly touched. It was made clear to us that you could not contract AIDS through casual contact but that didn't stop rumors from spreading.
When the letter was sent home that parents had to sign for the students to be able to take the class, mine didn't hesitate. This was a two week long course. The boys were taught by a male teacher and the girls were taught by a female teacher. There was a more comfortable atmosphere that way.
Anyway, when we were discussing AIDS, we watched a video on Ryan White. It touched me then, and his legacy still touches me now.
I personally never met Ryan. I would have loved to but he is no longer with us. So I built this page when I was 16 because I want to touch someone the way Ryan touched me.
Here it is, six years later...my heart still breaks and I still think about this wonderful person. In a world filled with so much hatred and ingnorance, Ryan is like an angel among devils. In October of 1998, the world lost another incredible person. Matthew Shepard was murdered because he was gay by two uneducated and ignorant men in Laramie, Wyoming. I'm not an overly religious or spiritual person but it is my wish...my wish for my children and my children's children...that people become aware of the epidemic of hate in this country. People need to put aside what they think and really learn about the truth. I worry for this Earth.
How can you help? Speak up. If you have a friend who speaks negatively of any race, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, or disease, ask them why they think that way. Force them to understand their own bigotry. Hate is not a family value.
Another way to help this world's pandemic of ignorance is to become educated and spread the knowledge. Become a pilar of your community. Learn all you can about as much as you can and let people know that they can come ask you for answers. If you don't have an answer for them at the time they want to know, let them know that you will do research and get back to them. You can never learn too much about any subject. I hope this encourages you to do your part. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
If any one person reads this page, and feels a sense of change within them, then my mission is accomplished. If you would like to contact me, click the ribbon to email.