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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