Diseased Pariah News (DPN) was a
zine
A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
published "by, for and about"
people with
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
and
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
in the 1990s. The publication used
black humor
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
and
shock humor
Shock humour is a style of comedy intended to shock the audience. This can be achieved through excessively foul toilet humour, overt violent and sexual themes, profanity, mocking of serious themes (otherwise known as black comedy), or through tact ...
to address many of the issues that affected people who had been diagnosed with HIV or AIDS.
While the publication dealt with issues related to having HIV/AIDS in a humorous, if dark, manner, many of the articles contained factual information about managing and living with the disease.
The content was largely aimed at gay men, but the editors routinely acknowledged AIDS as a global concern and solicited material from "diseased pariahs" of all kinds.
All of the main four editors of the zine were HIV-positive and/or had AIDS, and as of 2010, Tom Ace was the only surviving member of the editorial team.
Title and logo
The name of the zine came from a cartoon from ''
The Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law.
The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to:
Magazines
* The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States
* ''The Harvard Advocate' ...
'' about how
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
refused to seat a passenger who had AIDS. In the caption, an airport gate agent asked an emaciated ticket-holder, "Will that be smoking, nonsmoking, or diseased pariah?"
The official mascot of DPN is the
oncomouse
The OncoMouse or Harvard mouse is a type of laboratory mouse (''Mus musculus'') that has been genetically modified using modifications designed by Philip Leder and Timothy A Stewart of Harvard University to carry a specific gene called an activ ...
.
This animal was chosen as the editors felt they were natural pariahs, due to the fact they were bred to generate tumors.
Content
The irreverence and black humor of the magazine were attempts by the editors and contributors to fight what they felt was a view in the media of people infected with HIV as "languishing saints" or "hug objects".
The editors sought to reject this label imposed on them and embrace their identity as "diseased pariahs".
Scholars have seen this and a related zine called "Infected Faggot Perspectives" as
counterpublics, spaces where marginalized cultures can create their own discourse and identity, outside of the one imposed on them by society.
Notable columns
* Captain Condom
* AIDS Barbie &
KS Ken
* Piss Jesse (A reference to
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the Conservatism in the United States, conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the ...
' objection to
Piss Christ
''Immersion (Piss Christ)'' is a 1987 photograph by the American artist and photographer Andres Serrano. It depicts a small plastic crucifix submerged in a small glass tank of the artist's urine. The piece was a winner of the Southeastern Ce ...
)
* Get Fat, Don't Die!
Archives
The California-based
GLBT Historical Society
The GLBT Historical Society (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society) (formerly Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California; San Francisco Bay Area Gay and Lesbian Historical Society) maintains an extensive collection ...
has digitized all eleven issues of ''Diseased Pariah News'' and made them available online within thei
archived collectioncontaining the papers of ''DPN'' editor and co-founder
Beowulf Thorne. In addition to the issues themselves, the Thorne collection also contains other drafts, documents and photographs pertaining to the publication and its editorial team.
Prior to the GLBT Historical Society's digital archives, the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
digitized the first eight issues of ''Diseased Pariah News'' and posted them online at their ‘Online DPN Archive’.
While the original landing page of the archive is no longer functional, the eigh
scanned issuesare still available.
References
{{Reflist
External links
''Diseased Pariah News'' online archiveGLBT Historical Society: Thorne (Beowulf) Papers
Mass media portrayals of HIV/AIDS