June 2007
Mixed (Up) Media
by James Wortman
The late Beowulf Thorne and Tom Shearer, founders of ’90s HIV zine DPN–Diseased Pariah News, were hardly ones to shy away from controversy. From its farcical advertisements for AIDS Barbie’s “New Malibu Dream Hospice” to scathing pharmaceutical commentaries, the mag, a seropositive South Park of sorts, gave readers reason to laugh at HIV when most of the world wasn’t ready to talk about it. Lasting only 11 issues, DPN changed the face of HIV for many people living with it—adding a knowing smirk.
