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Alabama State Rep. Laura Hall

A Personal Testimony
By Alabama State Rep. Laura Hall
First Published: 12/1/2007

It was 1988 when my son was diagnosed with AIDS. He was 22 at the time—he died at 25. He had had a nagging cough that he just couldn’t get rid of and my husband and I suspected something.

After some time, we got him to go to the doctor. We got the results the week after we had buried my dad, and he was here visiting us. We tried to talk about it, but he just said, “I don’t care what you do. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

He went through some difficult times after that. He started using drugs, and doing so many things out of character. We kept it a secret for a long time. But when everyone was finally told, it was heartwarming. My uncle said, “You know, we’re family, and families stick together. Families just don’t leave each other.”

It was so touching to get that response.

The disease reeked havoc in our family. My grandson was also dealing with it. So over a period of three years, we had three deaths, and none of us have talked about it. I’m sad to say, not enough has changed today, because I am very suspicious of another little cousin’s condition. During the period of time my son had suffered with this illness, he had come to insist on openness about his condition. If nothing else, he taught us how to die with dignity. He insisted on an open casket and he made a tape that he asked us to play.

In that tape, he asked everybody who was there to put whatever they had in their pockets into a basket because a collection was being made to give to an AIDS agency.

There’s a lot of work still to be done, especially in our communities. We’re more sensitive to the fact of AIDS’ existence, and we’re willing to discuss it. But there’s nobody out there saying, “Oh, we need to rally around this.”

There’s still that fear factor—the fear of being ostracized. I lived through that fear, so I guess I want to think that 13 years later we wouldn’t have to deal with that. But it is so overbearing. People who are where we were in our family are always worried about what people are going to think, if they are going to be there for you. I have a god-child who is HIV-positive; I know only because her mother has told me. She’s 25.

I make sure that I deal with this issue in my role as an elected official. I talk about AIDS and its complications whenever I can, and I try to bring my colleagues together to pass legislation that combats this epidemic. In my last election, Republicans even charged, “That’s all she does is talk about AIDS.”

I said I make no apologies for my position. And if you choose not to elect me because I’m very outspoken and upfront about this disease that has impacted my family, then so be it. That means then I’ll just spend 100 percent of my time working on this issue, but I plan on being around in the general assembly for a while. I really do enjoy it, and want to believe that I make a difference. In the Legislature, we all understand the budget constraints with federal funding for the fight of AIDS, but for those who live with AIDS; this is a quality of life issue. It means life or death. I was elected in 1993. We are at the same point as we were 10 years ago.

Laura Hall is the Alabama State Representative for the 19th District (Madison).
www.legislature.state.al.us/house/representatives/housebios/hd019.html
laura.hall@att.net

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