A
popular
TV
show’s
portrayal
of
an
unproven
HIV
“supervirus”
perpetuates
fears
of
a
killer
strain
of
the
disease
and
could
increase
bias
against
people
with
HIV,
critics
claim.
The
Oct.
18
episode
of
NBC’s
“Law
&
Order:
SVU”
focused
on
a
string
of
murders
of
gay
men.
The
show,
dubbed
“Strain,”
featured
a
gay
AIDS
activist
who
killed
gay
men.
The
activist
targeted
men
who
had
contracted
through
unsafe
sex
fueled
by
methamphetamine
use
a
new
strain
of
HIV
that
could
kill
in
less
than
a
year.
The
killer’s
attorney
argued
the
murders
were
justified
because
the
HIV-positive
men
were
infecting
other
gay
men
with
the
drug-resistant
virus.
The
jury
rejected
the
defense
strategy.
The
New
York
City-based
Gay
Men’s
Health
Crisis
and
the
AIDS
Action
Committee
of
Massachusetts
called
the
episode
irresponsible
for
failing
to
acknowledge
the
supervirus
hyped
by
public
officials
has
never
materialized.
The
groups
believe
the
storyline
was
taken
from
a
real-life
case
in
New
York
City,
in
which
a
person
was
infected
with
a
highly
drug
resistant
strain
of
HIV
and
progressed
rapidly
to
AIDS.
The
case
received
widespread
media
attention
in
February.
But
since
then,
the
man
has
responded
to
medical
treatments,
according
to
the
agencies,
and
other
cases
have
not
developed.
Stephanie
Berman,
an
NBC
spokesperson,
said
the
“Strain”
episode
is
no
different
than
any
other
storyline.
“We
do
run
a
disclaimer
at
the
end
of
all
the
‘Law
&
Order’
episodes
that
they
are
fiction,”
Berman
said
Oct.
24
in
a
written
statement.
THE
GAY
&
LESBIAN
Alliance
Against
Defamation
posted
GMHC’s
concerns
about
“Strain”
on
its
Web
site
and
asked
“Law
&
Order”
to
depict
gays
more
accurately.
“The
‘Law
&
Order’
franchise
has
long
made
gays
and
lesbians
the
victims
or
villains,”
said
Damon
Romine,
GLAAD
entertainment
media
director.
“In
this
episode,
they
managed
to
do
both
with
a
story
based
on
an
untruth
about
a
HIV
‘supervirus.’”
But
Romine
did
note
one
positive
gay
character
from
the
episode.
“While
it’s
never
entertaining
to
watch
a
show
about
gay
people
killing
gay
people,
there
was
a
glimmer
of
hope
in
this
episode
with
the
inclusion
of
Detective
Tutuolo’s
son,
who
is
gay
and
helped
solve
the
case,”
Romine
said.
Berman
had
no
comment
on
adding
a
gay
character
to
the
series.
The
episode
“Strain”
is
scheduled
to
be
broadcast
again
on
Oct.
30
at
11
p.m.
on
the
USA
network.
The
leader
of
a
Christian
organization
believes
cable
channels
“Animal
Planet,”
known
for
pet
and
wildlife
programs,
and
“HGTV,”
which
offers
home
and
garden
shows,
are
hotbeds
of
homosexuality.
Tim
Wildmon,
president
of
the
American
Family
Association,
concurred
with
a
caller
on
an
Oct.
11
broadcast
of
his
daily
radio
show,
“Today’s
Issues.”
“You
really,
really,
really
have
to
watch
what
you
are
watching
on
TV”
because
of
“evidence
of
homosexuality
and
lesbian
people,”
the
caller
said,
citing
the
channels.
Wildmon
agreed
and
went
one
step
further.
“You
have
to
watch
out
for
children’s
programs
today
as
well
because
they’ll
slip
it
in
there
as
well,”
he
said.
Officials
with
the
two
networks
did
not
respond
to
interview
requests
by
press
time.
