Love Is the Drug

Frontdesk by David Waggoner

Whenever I think of February, I think of cold weather. People are crankier than usual. They want to rush from their cars, from the subway station, too. Everything is Rush, Rush. Reminds me of that Paula Abdul song from the early nineties when everything was slower; life was simpler then. The drug regimens were slower in coming and certainly simpler to keep track of. Not so many combinations (hardly any), or food restrictions. But that was just it. With fewer options, people were very limited by fast-approaching horizon lines.

That’s why in today’s world, living with HIV is much more manageable. Although it’s not a bed of roses, either: Everyone living with this disease will tell you that. But there is one chemical, one element that has never disappeared from recommended regimens, from the days when Paula was choreographing Janet Jackson’s “Nasty” video to her current stint as an Idol judge. And that molecule is love. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But good emotions, just like bad emotions, affect your immune system, and no matter how many drugs you throw at the virus, there is one drug, love, that is bound to help—never hurt—your chances of beating this rap.

The power of emotion, especially the power in finding a balance of its ups and downs while living with HIV, is at the forefront of our newest columnist’s mind. This month, Jesse Cameron Alick joins our wonderful group of essayists and opinion makers. Along with the likes of Patricia Nell Warren, Sherri Lewis, and Noël Alumit, Jesse adds a younger voice to the A&U tradition of giving a forum to men and women whose views are fresh, critical, but caring nonetheless. He’s a likeable talent, to be sure.

And making emotional connections that bind is a talent that this month’s exclusive cover story, Queen Latifah, is accomplished at. A&U’s Dann Dulin gets personal with one of America’s favorite multitalented actors, television personalities, and rap performers. I remember her name in conversations that I had eighteen years ago in an AIDS education workshop that I ran in the Latino community of Amsterdam, New York.
This woman was catching a star that long ago. She proved not only to have staying power, but the power to move young men and women to listen to her kinder and gentler lyrics. No gangsta, Queen Latifah epitomized the hopes and dreams of a generation of sensitive, intelligent, but at-risk youth. Latifah was the first mainstream rapper to use positive lyrics and the kids in the AIDS prevention workshop responded to her unique version of hip-hop. As I did. I pray that no one from those early AIDS education workshops ever had to deal with being HIV-positive, and that my interest in their stories and their favorite rapper was part of my attempt to show youth that adults do care about their everyday lives and their questions about sexuality and physical well-being deserve real answers.

Queen Latifah continues to show how much she cares by developing and starring in March’s HBO AIDS film Life Support. While many major Hollywood stars might have turned down such a vehicle, Latifah took it on full force. Inspired by the life of Andrea Williams, Life Support will reach millions of at-risk youth and young adults whose lives have been forever changed by the continuing increase in HIV infections.

From the early days of her rap masterpiece, All Hail the Queen, to last year’s hit movie, Last Holiday, Queen Latifah proves that love, not hate, is the answer. Or at least it’s a start to helping figure it all out when one is dealing with a life-threatening illness. How to respond with life-affirming brilliance is what has made Latifah a shining star. The Queen has had a long reign in doing just that: being proud, funny, and loving life to the fullest.

February 2007