Gay Black Men and HIV/AIDS: What You Need to Know
What puts Black gay men at for risk.
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September 27 Is National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Sept. 27 marks National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Gay and bisexual men account for the majority of HIV infections in the U.S. Yet men of color disproportionately bear the burden of new HIV infections. Read more about what puts our Black men at risk and the importance of reducing homophobia. – Kellee Terrell(Photo: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR/LANDOV)
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Stop Blaming AIDS on the DL! - Regardless of what pop culture keeps telling us, there are mounds of research that have said repeatedly that “sinister down-low brothas” are not fueling HIV/AIDS among Black women. Don’t believe the hype. (Photo: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR/LANDOV)
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The Sobering Statistics - A 2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that HIV rates among young men who have sex with men (MSM) ages 13-24 were up 22 percent between the years 2008-2010, with young Black MSM making up 55 percent of those infections. According to the Black AIDS Institute, a Black gay man has a 1 in 4 chance of becoming infected by age 25. By age 40, he has a 60 percent chance of becoming HIV positive.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Do Black MSM Have More Risk Factors? - Studies say no. Depending on which study you read, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) report the same or slightly fewer risk factors — IV drugs use, unprotected sex, number of partners — than their white counterparts. So clearly something else is at play. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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So Then Why Are the Rates So High? - Unprotected anal sex isn’t the only reason why MSM are at higher risk for HIV transmission. There are structural factors that make all African-Americans vulnerable to HIV infection: Poverty, poor health, late testing, access to health care incarceration, to name a few, are to blame. (Photo: China Photos/Getty Images)
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Black MSM Come Into Contact With HIV More Often - Another risk among Black MSM is that there is already a higher concentration of HIV/AIDS existing in the Black MSM community. Given that Black MSM are 11 times more likely to have sex with other Black MSM than with men of other races, they are more likely to come across HIV when having sex. (Photo: REUTERS)
Photo By REUTERS
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Older Men, Younger Partners - A 2013 study found that 34 percent of Black MSM who had sex with someone older did so without condoms. Also, Black MSM with partners more than 10 years older than them were twice as likely to not use condoms, too. This same trend is also found among women, especially Black and African women. Older men control condoms and if they don’t want to use them, that influences safer sex practices in relationships. (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)
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Ditching Condoms in Relationships - There tends to be this myth that HIV among Black MSM is a consequence of being promiscuous, yet past studies have shown that people in relationships are more likely to ditch condoms than if they were having casual sex. It’s unprotected sex in these committed relationships that tends to put people at risk for HIV transmission. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
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Past History of Abuse - A recent study found that Black gay and bisexual men are disproportionately susceptible to emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Nearly 30 percent had experienced rape at 10 years old. This past abuse and the lack of services to help Black MSM cope puts these men at risk for HIV, depression and drug use. (Photo: Stockbyte/Getty Images)
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Why Knowing Your Status Is Key - In a 2010 CDC study, 1 in 5 Black MSM test positive and 59 percent of them had no idea they were positive. The number gets higher when you look at young Black MSM: 70 percent of them who tested positive were unaware that they were infected. Experts believe that more focus on testing and HIV education is needed. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)