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Toleranceof AIDSthe aim forUP activistIRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (AP)Philip Gardiepy-Hefner stood alone in the church basement,glancing nervously at his watch. Itwas time for the HIV-AIDS support group’s organizational meeting. People had promised to attend. Where were they?“Finally I walked out front, and there were people standing on the street comers, driving by ... obvi ously watching to see who would come in. Gardiepy-Hefner recalls. “I thought. Oh. my God. ”It had been a couple of months since he’d moved from Los Angeles to Iron Mountain, a former mining town of 8,500 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He knew things would be different here, especially for an openly gay man who intended to remain active in the struggle against AIDS and HIV.But only now was it sinking in just how different — and difficult — his efforts would be.“I was used to L.A.. recalls Gardiepy-Hefner, 37. “They had AIDS support groups for everybody — Latinos, bisexuals, trans-genders, whatever. Here, you had a lot of people who didn’t even want to admit there were gays living among them.Nearly eight years later. Gardiepy-Hefner believes most people in his adopted hometown have come to accept his HIV-A1DS crusade, although some hostility remains.He runs the support group, a telephone hotline and a fund to help financially struggling patients and their families. He makes speeches, visits schools and keeps two large plastic bags filled with condoms in his home office — free for the asking. He is negotiating to bring the AIDS memorial quilt to the area later this year.•r“I really look up to him. says Jill Nocerini, public health nursing coordinator for Dickinson County.W'“He stands behind his cause; he’s very caring and dedicated. If we didn’t have Phil, a lot of things that we really need in this community just wouldn't get done.
Newspaper Details
Xenia Sunday Gazette
Xenia, Ohio, US
Sun, Mar 19, 2000
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 11 Jun 2021
Other Publications Near Xenia, Ohio
Xenia Evening Gazette
Daily Gazette
Morning Republican
Evening Gazette
Xenia Daily Gazette and Torchlight
