Terry Gross

Exiled black South African poet Dennis Brutus describes his ordeal while imprisoned for his anti-apartheid organizing, and discusses his decision to sign an exit visa which prohibits him from returning.

Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad are the authors of the new book "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live." The book chronicles the eleven year history of the show produced by Lorne Michaels. Hill has written for the New York Times and is a staff writer for T.V. Guide, and Weingrad has written for SoHo Weekly News, the New York Post, and edits the celebrity page of Women's World magazine.

Philadelphia lawyer David Webber is the legal director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force's Advocacy Committee and the counsel for the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. Last year he represented a person with AIDS who was fired from his job. Webber joins the show to discuss the legal and civil liberty issues associated with the disease.

The AIDS crisis has scared many people from donating or receiving blood from the Red Cross. Kathleen Denton, Director of Communications for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross, says those fears are unfounded. Denton explains that a test developed last April screens for the presence of antibodies to the HTLV-III virus, which is believed to cause AIDS. All blood is screened before being added to the pool. (Interview By Amy Salit)

On the second part of this special edition of Fresh Air addressing the AIDS epidemic, Terry Gross speaks with writer Dennis Altman, author of the new book "AIDS in the Mind of America." One of its subjects is the impact of the disease on the gay male community. The Australian Altman has previously written about the gay movement, and worked with the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California Medical School. Altman offers his thoughts on whether AIDS should be considered a "gay disease."

On the second part of this special edition of Fresh Air addressing the AIDS epidemic, Terry Gross speaks with Philadelphia lawyer David Webber, legal director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force's Advocacy Committee and the counsel for the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. Last year he represented a person with AIDS who was fired from his job. Webber joins the show to discuss the legal and civil liberty issues associated with the disease.

Webber and Gross respond to listener calls about the legal and media aspects of the AIDS crisis.

Larry Gross is a professor of communications at the Annenberg School of Communications of the University of Pennsylvania. He studies television violence and the portrayal of women in minorities on t.v. and their effects on viewers. Gross is the co-chair of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force and a member of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force. He joins the show to evaluate the media coverage of AIDS and how it has shaped the American public's response to the disease.

Pennsylvania Representative Russell Letterman is part of a group of legislators who have proposed legislation to require couples applying for marriage licenses to take one of the current tests for the virus that causes AIDS. Letterman and his cohort maintain that this should be done despite the fact that current tests (including one approved yesterday) are unreliable and can only confirm exposure to the virus. Letterman joins the show to explain his position. (Interview by Amy Salit)

Heshie Zinman is a "buddy" who helps "PWAs," or Persons with AIDS, many of whom are unemployed and/or without health insurance, and who are often rejected by their families and others in society. Buddies help PWAS by doing everything from housecleaning, filling out medical forms, advocating for the person, to listening to their fears. He joins the show to discuss his work organizing on behalf of PWAs.