IU Kokomo to host author of Ryan White biography

KOKOMO, Ind. - In 1985, a Kokomo teenager became a national symbol in the fight for health equity and justice, when he fought to return to school after being contracting AIDS because of medical treatment for hemophilia.

On Thursday, October 16, historian and author Paul Renfro will discuss his book, The Life and Death of Ryan White: AIDS and Inequality in America, in a free public lecture at 3 p.m. in the Indiana University Kokomo Library.

Sarah Heath, professor of history and regional faculty fellow, said Renfro's research is a reminder of the importance of effective community response to health crises.

"Even though effective treatments for HIV/AIDS have been developed, it is important to note how public misconceptions can diminish the effectiveness of our responses to any epidemic disease," she said. "For that reason, this is not just about our region, and it is not just about HIV/AIDs. His talk is an excellent reminder as to how important it is to base our public choices on solid evidence."

White was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, the result of a tainted blood transfusion. Very little was known about the disease at the time, and area families pushed back when he wanted to return to his middle school, fearful for their children, even as medical professionals said AIDS could not be spread through casual contact. He became an advocate for AIDS research and public education, at a time when the disease was stigmatized as impacting the gay community. The Ryan White CARE Act, passed by the U.S. Congress shortly after his death in 1990, is the largest provider of services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.

In his book Renfro, associate professor of history at Florida State University, analyzes White's struggle and celebrity, and the meanings of his life, death, and afterlives. He also examines how his fight to attend school forced the American public to reckon with prevailing misconceptions about the AIDS epidemic but also reinforced blame for "guilty" populations for spreading the virus, and how the consequences of that stigma continue to pervade policy and cultural understanding of HIV/AIDS today.

All IU events/programs, groups, activities, educational, cultural, and historical observances are open to all members of the IU community.

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.