A throng of University students and community members celebrating World AIDS Day rode an emotional roller coaster Friday as troupes of scantily clad 20-somethings danced in costumes made from condoms, performed spoken word poetry, demonstrated the proper use of male prophylactics and narrated PowerPoint presentations about HIV treatment in Africa.
The event, held in the EMU Ballroom, was a mixture of high and low-brow education and entertainment. Talk ranged from slogans like “wrap it up” and penis jokes to the discussion of foreign policy and math-based double entendres.
World AIDS Day was promoted all over the University. Red balloons struggling against gravity dotted the entire campus. About a block away from the EMU, the obelisk on Memorial Quad was adorned with caution tape and multiple rows of condoms, paying homage to its phallic symbolism in order to promote safer sex. There was also a bake sale in front of The Duck Store.
The first event on campus was a 7 p.m. viewing of artist Clint Brown’s “Plague” series, a collection of paintings that draws parallels between the Black Plague and the AIDS epidemic. The black and white charcoal-drawn pieces depict the skeletal figure of death engaged with horrified or despondent men and women in a variety of contexts including children playing ring-around-the-rosie to an assortment of sexual acts.
“It’s sobering and stunning,” said University senior Hannah Aronowitz.
“It’s powerful to see the risk of infection through something seen as so beautiful,” Aronowitz said as she contemplated two pieces in which a skeletal figure was engaging in intercourse with a person in the flesh.
Among the muffled conversations, barely audible over the crunch of free tortilla chips, the words “intense,” “horrifying” and “terrifying” are ubiquitous.
Brown, who was in attendance, chatted with a few patrons about his paintings, which have been shown at universities up and down the West Coast since their creation in the early 1990s. “They’re not easy to live with; I don’t have them on the wall at home,” Brown said.
In the lobby in front of the ballroom, members of UO Students for Global Health sold red ribbons for $3 to raise money for HIV treatment in Rwanda.
In the back of the ballroom, an assortment of bright photographs portrayed people with AIDS living their daily lives. Many of the shots were candid portraits with the subject’s eyes locked on the camera.
On each seat was a brown paper bag containing information about HIV testing, a condom, an AIDS ribbon and two pieces of candy.
The runway show began at 8 p.m. with the Spartan bass and snare of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” blaring over the sound system as the troupe “Forbidden Fruit” danced seductively in animal costumes, some of which could easily pass for “furry” apparel.
Joelle Goodwin, an assistant professor of Military Science, gave the opening speech clad in a green and yellow condom-covered dress.
A member of Tranny Roadshow performed slam poetry and later read longer stories. The first piece was full of impressive synonym gymnastics that wove seamlessly between sex and math references.
The runway shows featured quirky color-coordinated condom-covered clothing. Phrases like “fall colors,” “leg warmers” and “beachwear” take on a surreal quality when describing unrolled and, occasionally, inflated prophylactics. Some of the more memorable ensembles included a matador outfit, a Eugene-ready umbrella and raincoat, a schoolgirl uniform, a cocktail dress and a conceptual art piece replete with gigantic wings.
University freshman Melissa Underhill was ecstatic about the runway show. “The outfits were amazing,” Underhill said.
Simone Coker, the visual arts coordinator for the Cultural Forum, estimated that nearly 20,000 condoms were used in preparation for the event.
The remaining skits, which straddled the other two runway shows, ranged from a strip tease to a somber account of the life histories of HIV-infected Zambians.
Kat Flanigan, a University freshman, was especially moved by the Zambian stories. “I realized it was bad, but not that bad,” she said.
Another skit featured volunteers from the audience demonstrating the application of condoms on vegetables. One lucky (or perhaps unlucky) girl with a humongous radish received help from two of her brave colleagues. This occurred on the same stage where half an hour later two women gave a presentation on the global gag rule forced on Non-Governmental Organizations because of President Bush’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. After that, a drag queen performed a techno version of a Cure song.
Jeanette Karnite, a University freshman, was impressed by the mingling of politics with the presentations. “I think maybe there are more issues in the next election than I thought,” Karnite said.
The night ended with a final parade of the costumes on the runway.
Leo Watson, University freshman, said he didn’t learn anything that he didn’t know before, but that the visuals helped to reinforce what he already knew. “I could go to a talk or see a hot chick in a bikini made of condoms,” said Watson. He apparently opted for the latter.
World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1, was founded in 1988 and has become a transnational, worldwide phenomenon. This year’s slogan was “Stop AIDS. Keep the promise. Leadership.”
The day’s events were sponsored by The Women’s Center, Cultural Forum, Students for Global Health, LGBTQA, Peer Health, UO Housing and the HIV Alliance.