After reading Terrence McNally's play, Andre's Mother, quality over quantity comes to mind. Andre's Mother is a short and simple piece that conveys a powerful message. The story takes place at Andre's memorial service attended by Andre's boyfriend Cal, Andre's mother, Cal's father, and Cal's sister Penny. André's mother is a story of acceptance and letting go, sometimes you have to accept things as they are even if you're not ready. Andre died of HIV, this was a common occurrence for gay men in the early 80's and late 90's and even today it happens frequently. Andre's Mother was more than a play on a gay man who was afraid to confront his family. It was a piece that brought out two imperative topics in the early 90s; Homosexuality and AIDS. Beyond that, the play taught us to accept and let go. Homosexuality has long been a sensitive topic of discussion. Being gay goes against social norms in most cultures around the world and there are even cultures that persecute individuals for being gay. In the early 1990s, the U.S. government worked to raise public awareness about homosexuality, particularly gay people living with HIV/AIDS. “In 1991, the red ribbon was adopted as a symbol of awareness and compassion for those living with HIV/AIDS” (PBS). Although it wasn't revolutionary at the time, just having the ribbon was a major step in bringing public attention to the issue. If you see a pink ribbon today, you automatically think of breast cancer. The creation of the red ribbon by the New York-based company Visual AIDS had a similar impact at the time. Two years later, in 1993, "the Department of Defense issued a directive prohibiting the U.S. military from barring...... middle of paper ...... go to end." “Andrés' mother is alone, holding her white balloon. His lip trembles. She looks like she's about to collapse. She is about to let go of the ball when she pulls it towards her. She looks at him for a moment before kissing him gently. She drops the ball. She follows him with her eyes as he goes up and up” (McNally). There is a clear contrast between Andre's mother and Cal, Cal seems to be at peace with the situation and finally let go of Andre's mind. André's mother, on the other hand, is more reluctant than she has ever been, she does not seem any closer to accepting her son's life at the end of the play but she lets go and it is perhaps an indication that she is on the path to acceptance. . Ultimately, the simple message of the play was to accept the gay community even if one didn't understand an individual who was gay at the time..