Growing U.S. HIV Epidemic in Gay, Bisexual Men Heightens Call for National AIDS Strategy Bridging Race and Sexuality

There was a flurry of press activity yesterday due to the release of the long-awaited revision of HIV incidence estimates for the United States...

This morning, CHAMP put out a release calling for a national AIDS strategy that would bridge race and sexuality. Here's some of the key quotes; the full release is available in the AIDS2008.com press room:

Walt Senterfitt, CHAMP board co-chair and an epidemiologist living with HIV who served as a Visiting Scientist at CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention:

“The new estimates confirm that a vast majority of new infections in the U.S. occur in gay and bisexual men, and that Blacks are significantly more heavily impacted than other racial/ethnic categories. However, the data fail to clearly link the two, perpetuating a longstanding, damaging polarization. We need CDC to clearly show the HIV incidence numbers in gay men and other MSM of color.

A substantial number of Black people infected every year are gay or bisexual, and a substantial proportion of gay and bisexual men infected are Black. In fact, the heaviest impact is at the nexus of the two – being both black and a man who has sex with men. Yet this population is significantly marginalized, even stigmatized within both larger populations of which it is an integral part. A national AIDS strategy must tackle this fundamental challenge."

Jim Pickett, Director of Advocacy at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago:

"The rising incidence in our communities is a direct result of years of policies and programs that demonize and ignore the sexual health needs of gay men, especially African-American and Latino gay men who bear the brunt of the epidemic in the United States. Gay men of all colors face significant health disparities that directly directly compound chances of becoming HIV-positive. We must prioritize a holistic, asset-based gay men's health agenda that goes well beyond a ‘navel to knee’ focus. We must also address their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health needs that, when neglected, foster conditions in which HIV thrives.

Coco Jervis, CHAMP’s Director of Policy, noting the national AIDS program of the Mexican government's public health department sponsored public campaigns against homophobia in subways and buses, television spots, school programs and by working with telenovela and movie producers:

“If this socially conservative country, with far fewer resources than its wealthy neighbor to the north, can ambitiously confront homophobia with government sponsorship and funding, why can't the United States?”

Kenyon Farrow, National Public Education Director for Queers for Economic Justice:

“CDC talks of the need to develop more and better prevention messages, including more prevention interventions for Black gay men and gay men of all races. But such strategies will never be sufficiently effective or taken up by those most at risk until – and unless – homophobia is directly confronted. Instead, politicians of both parties and the Department of Health and Human Services have caved into pressure from right-wing politicians, squelching not only sexuality research but anti-homophobia and pro-sexual diversity messages in HIV prevention and general health promotion alike. Will our next administration buck this trend, or will it be more of the ‘business as usual’ that’s decimating my community?”