The fearless
contributions of one tough "mother."
Back in 1984, when the
mere mention of aids induced panic,
Poltergeist
actress Zelda Rubinstein did something truly brave by lending
her face to one of the first state-funded safe-sex campaigns
directed at gay men. Posters depicting Rubinstein as a caring
mom urging her "sons" to play safe were plastered all over
Los Angeles's buses and buildings before going national and
then international-they were spotted on phone booths as far
away as Madrid. "I paid a very big price careerwise,"
Rubinstein says of the attention, which predated Elizabeth
Taylor's and Madonna's AIDS involvement by at least a year. A
quarter century after their debut, Rubinstein's posters have
found a second life -- no séances required. Physician
Irene Adams, an AIDS specialist in Brazil, is bringing Mother's
lessons to her nation as part of a new youth outreach
initiative. The 76-year-old Rubinstein is ready to help once
again: "I would do a fund-raiser for this cause anywhere in
the world."
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