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Rs Obit
Rs Obit
Cleve Jones, founder of the Names Project, which produced the AIDS
quilt, called Shilts a hero whose writings are "without question the
most important works of literature affecting gay people."
But Jones also sounded a somber note, arguing that despite the efforts
of Shilts and other prominent gays "who believed they could singlehandedly stop the epidemic," AIDS rages on.
"Randy's death is a very sad milestone because it underscores for me
our utter failure," said Jones, a friend of Shilts for 20 years. "All of this
extraordinary talent is gone and none of this has moved the Congress
and President to responsible action."
Although he was worshiped by many in gay circles for enlightening
heterosexuals, Shilts was controversial among more radical members
of the movement, some of whom labeled him a "gay Uncle Tom." In the
mid-1980s, his stories suggesting that gay bathhouses in San Francisco
were breeding grounds for AIDS made him a pariah, unable to walk
through the city's Castro District without being jeered or spat upon.
When "And the Band Played On" came out, he was attacked for
charging that gay groups initially pretended that AIDS did not exist.
More recently, he was faulted for opposing the "outing" of prominent,
closeted gays, including two four-star generals he described
anonymously in "Conduct Unbecoming."
Shilts was hurt by such barbs, but refused to alter his message or
obscure the truth to win friends. In the author's note for "The Mayor of
Castro Street," he offered this explanation:
"I can only answer that I tried to tell the truth and, if not be objective,
at least be fair; history is not served when reporters prize trepidation
and propriety over the robust journalistic duty to tell the whole story."
Randy Martin Shilts was born Aug. 8, 1951, in Davenport, Iowa, but
spent most of his youth in the Chicago suburb of Aurora. His father,
Bud, sold prefabricated housing, while his mother, Norma, saw that
Randy and his four brothers grew up as solid Methodists. Early on,
Shilts appeared to share his parents' politically conservative views; in
high school, he founded a local chapter of Young Americans for
Freedom.
He went west for college, choosing the University of Oregon in Eugene
and beginning his journalism career on the student paper. At age 20,
Shilts declared his homosexuality, and later ran for student office
under the slogan "Come Out for Shilts."
Despite graduating at the top of his class, Shilts struggled to find work
in Oregon, a fact he attributed to homophobia. Eventually, he signed
on as Northwest correspondent for the Advocate, a national gay and
lesbian magazine, and later made his way to San Francisco.
might influence his reporting. He did not disclose his condition publicly
until last year.
For three years, he took the drug AZT and his health remained good.
Gradually, the drug's effects faded, and in August, 1992, the day
before his 41st birthday party, he came down with AIDS-related
pneumonia. Four months later, a lung collapsed, and he was forced to
dictate the final pages of "Conduct Unbecoming" from his hospital bed.
Last year, he was diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma, the AIDS-related
cancer that causes lesions.
Friends said Shilts had been mostly homebound since then, weak and
tethered to an oxygen machine but continuing to enjoy life with his
partner, Barry Barbieri, and beloved golden retriever, Dashiel. In
January, he managed to take a long-anticipated trip to the Palm
Springs International Film Festival, and in August attended what some
called a highlight of his life--the Los Angeles screening of HBO's version
of "And the Band Played On."