Pedro Zamora: Remembering a Hero

Last Wednesday, MTV premiered a movie it had produced on the life of Pedro Zamora, who was once a cast member on the third season The Real World. The movie was introduced by President Bill Clinton, who said the following:

The mission of Pedro Zamora's all too brief life was to raise awareness about HIV and
Aids. Pedro changed the face of HIV and AIDS in America forever when, for the first time on national TV, Pedro appeared on The Real World and young America saw a peer living with HIV. Pedro shattered myths. He jolted our country awake from ignorance and inaction. His message now is as urgent as ever.

President Clinton's words indicate that in 1994, Pedro Zamora appearing on national television was a moment of progression in the movement for fair representation of AIDS victims in the media. Since AIDS was discovered in 1981, there was a continual struggle for informed and fair representation of AIDS victims in the media. One facet of the struggle, mere visibility, was conquered with Pedro being the first, openly gay, HIV positive main character on television. Since his story is so significant in HIV/AIDS media evolution, I felt compelled this week to fond posts that dealt with the biographical movie on his life. My first response is to a post on an Entertainment Weekly blog that asks if the movie is a worthy tribute to his life. My second comment is to a negative review of the movie from Newsweek. Both deal with looking at how Zamora (see right) was portrayed as a young, gay, racial minority living with AIDS and can be found below and at the respective sites.

'Pedro': Is MTV's Pedro Zamora biopic a worthy tribute?
Comment

Before I answer the questions that you pose in the last paragraph, I have to say that I enjoyed reading your musings on the "meta reenactments" in the movie. What kind of world do we live in that Heidi: The Price of the American Dream seems like a possibility? I too found the reenactments bizarre and hard to watch. Another aspect of your blog that I am glad you included was the brief biography at the beginning. It provided a good base of information to those may not be in the know or who have not seen the movie. However, to answer your question on whether the movie lived up to Zamora's legacy, I have to say yes. As someone who was not old enough in 1994 to be interested in watching The Real World, I was able to get a sense of the impact his appearance on the show had on the young adult viewers of the time. I got the impression that young gays and HIV/AIDS victims were hungry for representation in the media, something that the third season of The Real World was able to provide. While some of the production and casting could have been done differently, I think the fact that MTV decided to air the movie provides the statement that Pedro was and important cultural icon. He gave a face to and humanized AIDS while educating his housemates and viewers. Today, no one else exists that has his kind of visibility. Don't you think MTV deserves some credit for trying to bring someone back to honor his work in AIDS activism?

A Made-for-TV Mistake: MTV's Pedro Zamora movie needs to get real
Comment

I was a bit taken aback after reading your scathing review of the movie. Yes, the movie could have done with a bigger budget, better casting, and less reenacting, but I think the message of the movie still resonates in a powerful way. I agree that the series, being that it was a reality show, was a bit more accessible to viewers. However, don't you think the movie was a valid celebration of his portrayal on the show? The producers were brave enough, in 1994, to air his faux wedding ceremony to another man. They were also able to restrain from making his HIV status too big of a point of conflict. Instead, Pedro was able to open the eyes of those he lived with and those who were watching. In 1994, this was a milestone. Never before had there been someone with his type of visibility. You mention at the very end of the article that we are still wondering who will pick up Zamora's torch. My question to you is: Do we need another Pedro? AIDS diagnoses and deaths are on the decline in the US (see left). AIDS prevention and empowerment is part of President Obama's civil rights platform. Zamora was the first of his kind of TV. There, of course, have been more. With HIV and AIDS being discussed in school and becoming a part of the national discourse, I highly doubt that another Pedro will come around. Honestly, I don't think we need one.