does but is miraculously rescued. For a person living happily with HIV like me, it was all a bit morose. Admittedly, the landscape of HIV was very different back in 1993 but there is nothing to indicate this on stage or even in the programme. Surely, the historical context of the performance should be made clear to the masses that have paid to see it?
Rent is showing at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London. Box Office: 020 7839 5972

P-P Hartnett brings together the second Gay Times anthology of fiction. This time he features the writing of very young teenagers delving into sexual discovery, fantasies, rebellion and coming out.
"Mardi Gras is much more of a benefit for the straights than it is for the gay community. Aids is just another word and all you need to be the centre of attention is enough ecstacy to knock out a kangaroo. If you think I sound bitter, that's because I am."
So writes Arden Pryor in 'The Golden Mile', one of the stories that

deals with a young gay man's journey through Sydney cafes and lavish Paddington lofts when he discovers he's HIV positive. His wise lament at the end of the story is "I'm dying. I always was, only now it's a little faster...If I've learnt anything, it's that

everything can change in the fraction of a second."