Roy is a 30 year old gay man who lives in a small town in South Carolina.  When he discovered that he had AIDS, he reached out for spiritual help and encouragement to a county nurse who put him in touch with the minister of education of a local church.  The minister had no experience with gays or with AIDS and asked me to go with him to visit Roy.  We had a good visit together.  Roy had a lot of questions about the Bible and homosexuality and how to find support in his illness.

I gave him my UFMCC brochure "THE BIBLE AS YOUR FRIEND."  This was the first material he had seen on how the Bible does not condemn homosexuals and how God's love also includes him as a gay man.  Roy knew no other people with AIDS and had no support group.  He had never heard of MCC.  Roy began a new journey toward spiritual healing and growth.  As I wrote this chapter, I learned that Roy had died, but I am grateful that he was able to accept God's love and accept himself even in the face of religious abuse and misunderstanding. 

This experience made me realize that many of the victims of AIDS live in small towns and rural areas where they feel alone and isolated.  Cities like San Francisco and Atlanta offer hundreds of medical, social, spiritual and community resources for people with HIV/AIDS.  But the great wealth of help available to homosexuals in the cities is unknown and unavailable to many thousands who suffer alone and in secret.    

The AIDS epidemic has cast a shadow of gloom, confusion, despair, fear, guilt, denial and desperation over the lives of multitudes of people.  What Jesus taught and did about sickness and suffering is suddenly of far greater urgency to every Christian than it was before AIDS.  We as Christian lesbians and gays face questions and opportunities related to AIDS that demand a fresh and detailed look at sickness and healing in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Jim was 21 years old and an active church member when he discovered that he was HIV positive.  Jim was overwhelmed by fear, self hate, and confusion.  He abandoned the church and quit school.  He began to use drugs, drink heavily and sabotage his life in irresponsible behavior.  He refused to tell his family of his illness.  Jim lives in San Francisco, where medical help and counseling are available, but he rejected all offers of help from people who cared about him.  Drug and alcohol addiction along with social, economic, housing, medical, and emotional problems grew worse in Jim's life every day.  Jim gave up.  Nothing seemed to slow Jim's headlong plunge into the abyss of self destruction. 

Jim is one of my best friends, but he is not an isolated case.  Thousands of gay men like Jim are sinking into lives of quiet desperation.  How can Christian lesbians and gays reach out effectively to the increasing multitude of people like Jim and Roy?  What kind of help does Jesus Christ offer in the AIDS epidemic?  Does the Bible have any real answers?