Sex in the City star Cynthia Nixon has been a strong activist since coming out several years. In particular, Nixon has put a lot of time and dedication into providing education and prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as talking  about the lives that are affected by the virus. In a recent interview, Nixon talks about how she came to understand the nature of this epidemic and how it impacts all of our lives. When she was asked about Hollywood and how they seem to have taken more interest of HIV/AIDS and it’s impact she had this to say:

There are a lot of reasons. First, there are so many gay people in these industries, historically. Show business is a world of people who feel like they’re different, in whatever way. Individuality is encouraged. Being gay is accepted. And gay-positive people who identify with being different feel a lot of simpatico for LGBT people. I also feel like in terms of theater and the arts community in general, there is such a strong river of gayness running through it. We would not have these rich literary and artistic cultures without gay people like Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde, and straight people acknowledge that and pay tribute to it. Plus, the work in the artistic community often focuses on speaking the truth, and the truth is there are gay people, there have always been gay people, and they have generally been treated pretty badly. Many people in the arts community think that truth should be told, rather than papering over it to maintain the status quo.

I highly recommend you all read the rest of this personal interview in which Nixon tells a touching story of two of her friends affected by the virus and how it affected her life as well as her family.