HIV Plus columnist LeRoy Whitfield dies

LeRoy Whitfield, a columnist for The Advocate's sister publication HIV Plus, died Sunday of AIDS-related complications in New York City.

Whitfield, who wrote a first-person column titled "Native Tongue" about his experiences as a bisexual HIV-positive African-American man, previously worked as a senior editor at Poz magazine and associate editor at Positively Aware and was a frequent contributor to Vibe magazine.

Whitfield, who was diagnosed with HIV infection in 1990 at age 19, often wrote about his decision to refuse antiretroviral therapy and how he continued to struggle both physically and emotionally with that choice as his CD4-cell count dropped, his HIV viral load climbed, and his health deteriorated. He also offered very candid looks into the most intimate parts of his life, inviting readers to share in and learn from his personal experiences.

"LeRoy was a consummate journalist--thorough, detailed, unafraid, and unapologetic in his approach to the topics he wrote about--and he gave me inspiration in my professional life," says Michael W.E. Edwards, editor in chief of HIV Plus. "I always knew that after he'd turned in his Native Tongue column to HIV Plus that I could expect a minimum of three follow-up phone calls or e-mails about whether I thought a certain word he'd used should be changed to some other for just the right effect. I knew if he was taking that much time out of his hectic life--his long search for an apartment in Manhattan where he could try to find some place for peace and thought, his worries about clinic doctors who just didn't get him, his ongoing battle with fatigue, and trying to be a productive writer on top of it all--that I could give every ounce of myself to my work as well. Those work conversations with him that carried over into reminiscences of our families and how we each missed living closer to relatives but knew that our dedication to our work was too strong always left me feeling comforted and with a smile. He had that much ability to understand, for his work and for his life. That's why I'm glad he got the chance to tell his personal stories. Because they touched a lot of people."

In Whitfield's final column in the November issue of HIV Plus, ironically titled "A Prayer for the Dying," he wrote about how his decision to refuse antiretroviral therapy had angered friends and other HIV-positive associates over the years. "As of late, one by one, I've been losing friends in the AIDS community--but not how you think," Whitfield wrote. "They've been claimed not by the disease but by their disgruntlement--even disgust--over my current decision not to take meds." He wrote of friends who sent him text messages saying, "Ur form of denial is the worst kind," and of a heated telephone conversation with a friend who said, "But now that you're so goddamn stubborn, I hope that something terrible happens with your health just to teach you a lesson!"

In response to the criticism, Whitfield wrote that he had grown tired of people "telling me--but never asking--what I need. If they asked, they'd know that this is the hardest medical decision I've ever had to make. And I feel very alone and afraid making it. If they'd ever stop to ask, they'd know."

Whitfield was hailed by many as one of the nation's leading journalists reporting on AIDS in the African-American community. His writing earned him a spot as a finalist for a magazine writing award from the National Association of Black Journalists, the winner of which will be announced this weekend. He also was active with the Los Angeles-based Black AIDS Institute and served as one of the founding members of the institute's journalism team, according to institute executive director Phill Wilson.

Wilson, writing on the Black AIDS Institute's Web site, says that Whitfield's death "is yet another reminder that the AIDS epidemic is not over for black folks in America. LeRoy's life and death with AIDS is a commentary on how complex HIV/AIDS in 'black face' really is."

Keith Boykin, author of the best-selling books Beyond the Down Low: Sex and Denial and Black America and Respecting the Soul: Daily Reflections for Black Lesbians and Gays, writes on his Web site that Whitfield "was unusually committed to exposing the truth about AIDS in the black community, and he was unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom." Boykin writes that in a February 2001 interview in The New York Times, Whitfield said, "I don't think the larger AIDS groups give the voice to the black gay community. A lot of these men don't have a grip on what they are feeling sexually, and I don't think many of the organizations have a grasp on how to communicate with them."

Whitfield's "Native Tongue" columns can be seen on the HIV Plus Web site at www.hivplusmag.com.