I was in grade seven the first time I learned about AIDS. My grade seven teacher gave the entire class a lecture about the disease, probably based on guidelines provided to him by the board. It wasn't long before he left these guidelines in the dust and began to share his personal feelings about AIDS.
AIDS, he told us, was God's way of punishing gays. He spoke quite seriously about the sin of homosexuality and how AIDS was the tool by which the good Lord seeks his vengeance. I remember taking this all in at the time and not being quite sure what homosexuality was and what it meant to be gay. It was confusing and fascinating all at once.
It wasn't until some time later that I realized what we grade seven students had been taught that day and how ever so wrong it was.
