NAMES IN THE NEWS : ‘Madam’ Sorry About AIDS Gaffe

Former “Mayflower Madam” Sydney Biddle Barrows has apologized for a paragraph in her new intimate etiquette book that suggests that dinner guests be told if someone with AIDS is at the table.

The publisher, Doubleday, said in a press release Saturday that many have complained that the passage in the book “Mayflower Manners” is insensitive.

“Most people will know that they cannot contract the disease by being seated at a dinner table with a carrier,” Barrows wrote. “But it is a courtesy to all to let them know ahead of time.”

Barrows said in the release, “My advice was intended to protect the feelings of such a guest from the ignorance of those who might inadvertently bring up a subject, causing discomfort to the guest. I intended no other meaning or inference.”

She said the passage would be deleted in future printings.

The book by Ellis Weiner and Barrows is described by the publisher as “a satirical and tongue-in-cheek advice book.”

Barrows, a member of a prominent socialite family who ran a high-priced escort service, pleaded guilty in 1985 to a misdemeanor charge of promoting prostitution and paid a $5,000 fine. She was dubbed the “Mayflower Madam” because she traces some of her ancestors to the group that came over on the Mayflower.