Posts
The Black AIDS Institute released a
new report Wednesday called “Back of the Line: The State of AIDS Among Black
Gay Men in America 2012.” Black men who have sex with men (MSM) “continue to be
first in line when it comes to need, but remain at the back of the line when it
comes to assistance,” said Phill Wilson, founder and executive director of BAI.
The report calls for stepped-up STD campaigns and HIV testing, prevention and
treatment for this population.
Black MSM account for one in four
new HIV infections, even though they represent only 1 in 500 Americans, the
report says. Unless they receive treatment, these men “are significantly less
likely to be alive three years after testing HIV-positive” when compared with
white MSM.
Black MSM “are not simply a fringe
group in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “They
are, in fact, at the center of the nation’s epidemic, and we cannot achieve an
AIDS-free generation, or the end of AIDS in the United States, unless we make
major inroads in the fight against HIV among black gay men.”
According to Ernest Hopkins, chair
of the National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition and the San Francisco AIDS
Foundation’s director of legislative affairs, black MSM “are no more likely to
engage in HIV-related risk behaviors than other MSM.” However, they are
associated with risk factors such as early sexual experience, older sex partners,
being molested as a child, being incarcerated, growing up in poverty,
homelessness and suffering discrimination, he said.
To access BAI’s report, visit:
http://www.blackaids.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1284&Itemid=198.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
