STAGE

Speaking of AIDS, is there any kind of silver lining to the malady? Gay playwright Harvey Fierstein says . . . maybe. “First, no one can deny any more how many (homosexuals) there are,” Fierstein tells Playboy magazine in its August issue. “(And) a lot of gay people are being more supportive of one another than ever before.” The Tony-winning playwright continued: “When you have AIDS, you don’t simply have a disease like cancer. To start with . . . you’re part of a media event. When you have AIDS, you also have everything that comes with it . . . every nasty, filthy lie that is told about homosexuals.” Education is the key to defeating the lies, Fierstein said.