Russell Fleet Alive and kicking
What a whirlwind 2006: got ill, got better, stopped drinking,
started again, stopped again, started going to the gym, still going (tits
getting bigger as I write), joined an amateur theatre company and started
seeing my singing teacher again.
If that’s not enough upheaval, I then got a new job. And to cap it all
I’m now back for a stint in PN. And very good it feels, too. I thought
I’d get the potted biography out of the way because this time around
I intend to focus on the future, and the new job has given me very good reasons
to do just that. For a start, I have to take out a personal pension plan and
really get to grips with my forthcoming old age. The future has been on my
mind a lot of late.
The fact I actually have a future at all has occupied my thoughts for some
time, and in a good way. But recently I’ve come to wonder what sort
of provision will be made for people like me? HIV services as we know them
have changed enormously in the past five years and the pace of change is set
to increase, if Tony’s farewell speech to the 2006 Labour Party Conference
was anything to go by.
At a recent LGBT healthcare conference the panel discussed service provision
for elderly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people.
So far the state of play seems to be that no account is taken of the needs
of gay people inside either state or private sector residential care settings.
Those who end up in residential care often experience homophobia and exclusion,
and those that don’t experience isolation as the commercial gay scene
becomes oriented more and more towards the young, healthy and beautiful.
Now throw a positive HIV status into the mix and it doesn’t look too
good for those of us who live in social housing, have no family and no significant
savings. I reckon I have about 20 years to get the money together for a small
place somewhere abroad where the weather is good and I can afford to pay someone
to cook, clean, give me my pills and change me twice a day.
If the trend for mainstreaming our HIV services continues, I imagine we’ll
find ourselves in care settings which have all manner of impressive sounding
equality policies displayed on the wall but that fail to deliver in concrete
ways that actually allow us the freedom to be who we are without fear of reprisal.
And unless there’s a sea change in public attitudes towards people with
HIV, I don’t see many people outing themselves to fellow residents.
I’m reminded of other experiments in mainstreaming that have been trumpeted
as landmarks in inclusion and equality only to fail dismally - including schooling
for children with hearing impairment, physical disability or learning difficulties.
Perhaps the current vogue for celebrities tackling matters of national concern
using reality TV could be useful, in the vein of Jamie’s School Dinners
or Ian Wright’s Unfit Kids.
After all, this seems to be the only way things get done nowadays. If they
can create the next chart topping pop act, choose the lead of a West End musical
or sign the next football idol by public vote, hopefully some HIV positive
celebrity will feel confident enough to come forward and raise awareness about
the issue of LGBT and HIV positive elders with an innovative TV show.
I imagine it would be a cross between Big Brother, Changing Rooms, Fame Academy
and Masterchef. Catflu Towers perhaps? Go with me on this for a minute. Think
about it; a poz version would most likely be populated predominantly by gay
men and African people. So, at the very least, there should be tasteful interior
décor, good food and lots of music and dancing. Save your stamp, I’m
already sorry! The tasks would potentially be a model of collaborative effort,
the rows about religion would be spectacular and my diary room contributions
would make this column look like a model of tact and restraint. And maybe
I’d finally get my hands on Dermot O’Leary. Now that’s what
I call television...
