Delevan ( Del ) Barrett has been gone from Chicago for about 15 years, but certainly hasn't forgotten his time in the Windy City while now living in Asbury Park, N.J.
"I miss Chicago a lot, especially the camaraderie," he said by phone.
Barrett, 61, is single, openly gay and blind, which he claims "is due to the use of Viagra."
Barrett graduated from Cornell University with a degree in hotel administration and was a successful hospitality manager for years, mostly in Chicago, including a stint as the special projects manager for the downtown Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
When he left Chicago, Barrett moved to New Hampshire to be near his parents. He also has lived in Bangor, Maine, and now lives in New Jersey. He has been blind for the past 12 years.
"When I moved to Asbury Park, I thought I was going to meet a lot of people, and being blind, I thought people would go out of their way to talk to me. But it actually is very anti-social here."
Barrett spent about 20 years in Chicago, from 1978-98, including about 15 years as a prominent AIDS activist throughout the city. Barrett dated the late Brad Reimer, he of Reimer Foundation fame, who died in 1984—the year Barrett truly took a stance in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"In 1984, I realized that the only way to stop the spread of this disease was through the distribution of condoms," he said. Barrett worked with area bars, bookstores and bath houses to supply condoms at cost to those facilities.
Barrett received grants from the city to distribute condoms. Through the Reimer Foundation, Barrett also was integral in developing posters, literature, videos and more to promote safe sex.
After 15 years, Barrett and his crew distributed 5.5 million condoms. "I'm sure we saved some lives along the way," he said.
"Some of [my activism work] was very rewarding; some of it wasn't. It was extremely frustrating at times, particularly at the end of my run."
Through the Reimer Foundation there were numerous ad campaigns for condom use, often very direct, expletive-filled, and yet very imaginative. There also were videos produced.
"That era, the early days of the HIV/AIDS era in the 1980s … that was a horrible time," Barrett said. "The disease was running rampant and so many people were dying. It truly was decimating, horrible."
Barrett said an upcoming YouTube video will be released, discussing the impact Viagra has had on his life.
