Pedro Zamora: Putting a Human Face on AIDS Through ‘The Real World’

Believe it or not, the third season of The Real World wasn’t all about a scabbed, obnoxious bike messenger.

The real story of the San Francisco cast was Pedro Zamora. It was the first time many of the MTV generation could say, “I know someone with AIDS.” It was probably the first time a lot of people even could say, “I know someone who is gay.”

More importantly, viewers didn’t watch him just struggle with the disease. Most of Pedro’s larger health problems came after the show was done taping. Instead of watching a struggle, people who watched The Real World watched Pedro live. They watched him go to work, giving speeches about the AIDS virus. They watched him fight with his roommates and go on vacation to Hawaii. They watched him date, fall in love, and commit to Sean.

Pedro went on the show hoping to put a face on the AIDS virus, and he did. He brought AIDS out of the hospital and being gay out of the bedroom and showed what it was like to really live.

And his roommates learned what it was like to live with someone living with AIDS. The same irrational, but inevitable, fears came up about sharing glasses, toilet seats, etc. Part of Pedro's gift was ability to educate without making his roommates feel silly for those fears.

While this article is predominantly about Pedro, MTV and Bunim-Murray deserve a lot of credit here, as well. In this post-Janet Jackson world we suddenly live in, it's not so hard to imagine that MTV took a lot of heat for Real World: San Francisco, seemingly from all fronts. Conservatives were outraged that homosexuality was so easily embraced by the roommates. The religious right wanted to know why no one was counseling Pedro about his "sin." On the flip side, some gay activists didn't think Pedro was gay enough.

MTV and Bunim-Murray knew they were making a controversial call, and decided that the story Pedro had to tell was worth some inconvenience and discomfort. They realized that kids were having sex, whether we wanted them to or not, and education was long overdue. And, if they are having sex, there are consequences. If it could happen to someone as likeable and undeserving as Pedro Zamora, it can happen to you too.

Pedro made a huge sacrifice. Knowing he probably didn’t have many more years to live, he chose to spend a large portion of that time at the mercy of the public. He moved away from the safety and security of his family and into the stress of having his whole life story taped for television 24-7. He didn’t know if his roommates would ostracize him. He didn’t know if he’d get sick on television. Most reality television stars only have to worry about making fools of themselves on TV and most even fail at that. Pedro, at all times, was a class act.

Pedro died of complications from AIDS in November 1994. In recognition of a life dedicated to educating young people about AIDS and AIDS-prevention, a number of entities bear his name. Some of these include a memorial fund run by AIDS Action, a Washington, D.C.–based advocacy group that represents more than 2,400 local AIDS service organizations; a youth health clinic at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center; and a second health clinic, Boston’s Pedro Zamora Center.

A year before he died, Pedro asked legislators on Capitol Hill, "I wonder now as I look around me... who is going to pick up my torch?" Due to his efforts, there are many hands on that torch. The hands of men and women, gay and straight, young and old. And the torch continues to burn.

That’s why Pedro Zamora deserves this induction into the Reality TV Hall of Fame.

Jennifer Shrader traded in her boyfriend for a dog, who is always happy to see her, is properly housetrained, and doesn't drink all her liquor while she's taking a nap. She and her dog live in the Deep South, where she's a reporter for a community newspaper. Sting7 has been a respected published writer for 16 years, as a music editor, entertainment critic, columnist, and interviewer. He also has a curious love for pro-wrestling! You can email Stinger at stingseven@yahoo.com.

Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/Reality TV Hall of Fame e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on these sites! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of the shows in the Hall of Fame listed here, all of the people who have been inducted can be found here, and click here for the Hall of Fame Moments.

We encourage you to visit our sister site:

For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityNewsOnline and SirLinksALot!