Kramer, Larry. The Tragedy of Today's Gays. New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2005.

I thought about not buying this book because though it was only $10 it was also only 108 small pages with large type, surrounded by a foreword, an introduction, and an afterward. It's probably online somewhere in its entirety.* I knew I would read it in a single quick sitting. But I bought it on a slight discount and don't have much to say about it. For those who don't know, Kramer is perhaps the most vocal and radical of gay activists. He founded the Gay Men's Health Crisis before anyone realized that AIDS was sexually transmitted, and his suggestions that gays cool down their bathhouse trysts were met with much hatred in the brotherhood. Later he started ACT UP. It's pretty fair to say that the existence of AIDS medication and education wouldn't be without his work.

This book is the text of a speech he gave in 2004 right after something like 10 states voted to ban gay marriage. It's basically a wake up call. General message: the gay rights movement is dead, and we ourselves let it happen. Stop doing meth and stop fucking without condoms and start fighting for your equality. The people in power hate us and want us dead so they won't be doing any of the fighting for us.

Much of me thinks that I'm not the audience for the speech, despite Kramer's insistence that the problem of drugs and AIDS is everyone's problem. It's telling, though, that it was given in NYC. To speak to a Plains Gay about circuit parties is to talk to him about Hollywood, or Shangri-La. Or is it? I only really know one Plains gay man, and I'm dating him, and he's not talking.

I'd read much about this speech in the gay trades. It'll be interesting to see what its historic repercussions are. Are there any historic speeches after, say, MLK?
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* I searched "kramer" and "tragedy" and the full text of the speech popped up at #2. It's here, but do mind the photo-ads of bois in their underwear.