Photo by Kate Garner. It was used in a fictional commercial in a 1986 BBC special called “AIDS: The Last Chance.” Condom advertisements were still banned by the BBC at this time, the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Pope as well as the Church in Ireland continued to call condom usage a sin, a move that was harshly criticized by public health experts and likely led to the deaths of millions worldwide. Sinead O’Connor would go on to help raise money for HIV/AIDS charities as her own star rose.
I wanted to write something about Sinéad O’Connor later today, but felt I was at a loss for words. As I pause and turn that last sentence over in my mind, I realize I am not bereft of words but, perhaps, overly burdened by them. I shall attempt to explain further here.
I am sad, certainly. I am not gutted by her death, or devastated, but rather quietly…
