Let’s Talk About HIV In The Black Gay Community | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Let’s Talk About HIV In The Black Gay Community

Advocacy for remission

233
Let’s Talk About HIV In The Black Gay Community

In America, black people account for 12 percent of the population, yet lead the polls in new HIV infections. Last month, the Center for Disease Control reported that half of gay and bisexual black men run the risk of being infected with HIV. For gay black men, the data is more jarring: One in two men will contract the virus within their lifetime if rates continue to rise.

Health care professionals and others have long tried to determine why the phenomena of high transmission rates exist within the black community. In 2004, three years after the CDC released a study that reported 32 percent of the gay black population had HIV, J.L. King, author of "The Down Low," released a tell-all book describing the down low relationships men have with other men in secret, while maintaining heterosexual relationships with women. King attributed the emerging statistics to "down low" men having unprotected sexual encounters with multiple partners.

His approach promoted a sentiment that paralleled the narrative of black men as savage, unintelligent, dangerous and irresponsible. Statistics and scholars moved quickly to debunk the notion. The United States Global Health Policy Director with Treatment Action Group Kenyon Farrow took to a Skype interview with me to discuss the intrinsic issues that underlay the epidemic.

“The idea that down low brothers are the cause of high HIV rates is a myth,” said Farrow. “There have been studies that have looked at black gay men who are out and men that identify as bisexual, down low, or closeted, and actually a few of these studies prove that it’s the opposite.”

I wondered why the racial disparities exist within the gay community.

“The reason HIV rates in the black community are higher than others has absolutely nothing to do with more individual risk factors,” said Farrow. “So when you look at studies comparing gay white and black men, all of them have shown that black gay men have fewer incidents of unprotected sex, lower drug use, fewer sexual partners, yet twice as many cases of HIV. We already knew the black community was suffering from disproportion since 1989, but very little money was given to this community. No one cared about it until it was already too high."

"In the early 1980s, when there began to be some money put toward prevention, there wasn't any federal money targeting black gay men until 1999 from the CDC. Almost 20 years into the epidemic was the first grant. That pot of money had to be split amongst men of color. By that point, we’re talking 25 percent of black gay men being HIV positive in this country. The disparity had already been reported.”

Another popular notion of how statistics materialize is from mass incarceration and the idea that down low men are contracting HIV in prison. Farrow insists few statistics prove that theory.

“When you begin to put people into these institutions, you change the social networks of a community. In New York State, 70 percent of people in prisons come from seven neighborhoods. Those same neighborhoods are the same as where the higher percentages of HIV are. East New York, Crown Heights, South Bronx, etc. That tells you something about what it means to constantly be moving people in and out,” said Farrow. “A lot of us value relationships between black men. The background is so high and we’re already a small proportion among the population, so the likelihood of contracting are far greater.”

Adequate health care isn’t accessible to poor communities of color. According to Farrow, black gay men are more likely to be unemployed, poor and not have access to preventative measures in order to avoid transmission. Black gay men are less likely to know they are positive and be treated effectively. Since black gay men are more likely to have sex with other gay black men, the cycle persists.

Currently, there are 1.2 million people living with HIV in the Unites States. Members of the CDC say transmission trends can potentially be reversed.If more HIV-positive people received adequate treatment, the agency estimates 168,000 infections could be prevented within the next few years.

Antiretroviral therapy, otherwise known as ART, slows down the progression of HIV and significantly lowers the risk of transmission. The CDC recommends that everyone with HIV take it. Combative medicine like PrEP, or Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, was designed for HIV negative people who engage in high-risk sexual behavior to remain negative. By taking the pill once a day the treatment lowers the risk of infection by nearly 99 percent. The CDC reports that increasing access to PrEP, especially amongst the black community, could prevent an additional 17,000 infections.

“PrEP has changed the way we think about transmission for HIV for the better,” said Khalil Williams, a 25-year-old positive gay black man. “It changes the way that negative and positive people can engage in sex. Before PrEP, there was a different way negative people interacted with me. I think PrEP has made that different. It’s made negative people feel more comfortable and it’s assured me as well.”

How does antiretroviral therapy help gay men? “ART is what insulin is to diabetes, but for HIV,” said Williams. “It’s essential and needed and with access to it, and how easy it is to take, it makes it a lot easier to stay healthy and have an immune system that’s the equivalent to someone that is negative.”

Organizations like Gilead, the founder of PrEP, assist with funding and help HIV-negative people in financial need receive access to PrEP in order to stay negative. If an applicant qualifies, they could receive full funding for their prescription. Whether or not they will sign up is another question. The disparity has already deeply affected our community. Time is of the essence.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

445350
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

18889
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Moana's Top 10 Life Tips

"Moana" is filled with life lessons that involve far more than finding true love as many other Disney movies do.

42805
Animated image of a woman with long dark hair and tattoos
StableDiffusion

1. It's easy to be fooled by shiny things.

Digital image of shiny gemstones in cased in gold. shiny things StableDiffusion

Tamatoa created a liar filled with shiny things simply for the purpose of tricking fish to enter and become his food. He too experiences a lesson in how easy it is to be tricked by shiny things when Moana distracts him by covering herself in glowing algae so Maui can grab his hook.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

7 Types Of Students You Will Meet In College

You wish you could be #5, but you know you're probably a #6.

22073
cool group of lazy college students in class
StableDiffusion

There are thousands of universities around the world, and each school boasts its own traditions and slogans. Some schools pride themselves on sports, while others emphasize their research facilities. While there is a myriad of differences among each and every school, there will always these seven types of students in class.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Rhyme Without Reason Greek Life Function Ideas

When you have no ideas for what to wear to this date function

322463
A dog and a frog
Healthy Pets

I am going to a rhyme without reason date function and I have looked at so many different rhyming words and I figured there need to be a new list of words. At these functions, there are usually at least two rockers and boxers and an umpteenth amount of dogs and frogs. I have come up with a list of creative and unique ideas for these functions.

If you like what you see, get a shopping cart going with these costumes.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments