ABSTRACT
Ten years ago I attended the first International Conference on AIDS in Atlanta, and many of those attending the 1994 Xth International Conference on AIDS in Yokohama have become friends and colleagues over the past decade in our common fight against HIV/AIDS. Others who were friends, lovers, colleagues have died, and as always my pride is mingled with sadness at their loss. As a gay man, I live in a community where death has become commonplace, and where the stress of our losses is compounded by the ignorance and the hostility with which too many people still view us. As a political scientist, I seek to understand how these individual deaths and discrimination are shaped by larger economic and political forces. And as an Australian, a country which is part of the vast Asian/ Pacific region, my greatest commitment is to expand the links and common purpose with coworkers across national and ideological boundaries.
