HUFFINGTON
12.09.12
Stuart Elliott, The Times’ advertising columnist, saw the success that came
with other publications’ extensive coverage of the gay community.
ELLEN B. NEIPRIS
announcements to changing obituaries (currently
The Times will not use
the word lover and will
not say the deceased is
“survived by” his or her
companion). In almost all
cases, gay Times editors,
reporters and photographers are guarded, in
that New York Times way,
about sounding too much
like what they call advocates because they are,
after all, “journalists.” But
at least one, propelled by
forces beyond his control,
has comfortably crossed
that line.
“Sometimes greatness is thrust upon
you,” says Schmalz,
grinning. “Having AIDS
has changed my poli-
tics. The paper trains
you to be apolitical. I
grew up at the paper
and have been apolitical. Now I’m having a
political awakening.”
Schmalz has been in
and out of the hospital
six times in the last year
and a half, has had brain
surgery, survived pneumonia, and outlasted a
rare and immediately
fatal brain infection,
progressive multifocal
leukoencephalopathy.
He’s lived far longer than
his doctors had hoped
for, looks great, and has
tremendous energy. He’s
now pondering what direction he’d like to go in,
what kind of of meaningful writing about his
experience he’d like to
do for the paper.
“I have a voice that
needs to to get out now,”
he says, beaming with
the glow of ac ]