TOMORROW! Conversations: A Discussion about the Impact of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy on Black Gay/Bisexual Men in Chicago

 The Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus present.........

Conversations: A Discussion about the Impact of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy on Black Gay/Bisexual Men in Chicago

 TOMORROW!!
Thursday, August 11, 2011

6:00pm-9:00pm

Gary Comer Youth Center
7200 S. Ingleside (Located 2 blocks southeast of the intersection of East 71^st St., Cottage Grove Ave., and South Chicago Ave.)

 With special guests:

-- John A. Schneider, MD, MPH (Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology – University of Chicago)

-- Chris Brown (Assistant Commissioner of Public Health for the STI/HIV/AIDS Division – City of Chicago)

-- David D. Robertson (Prevention Specialist – Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago)

-- Mildred Williamson, PhD, MSW (HIV/AIDS Section Chief – Illinois Department of Public Health)

Moderated by: Keith R. Green, MSW (CBGMC Co-Chair/Director of Federal Affairs at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago)

Light refreshments will be served! Please RSVP to CBGMCevents@gmail.com

PrEPing for the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic

 via The Madison Times, By Phil Wilson


We have reached a deciding moment. HIV is 100 percent preventable, including among some of our most at-risk populations: women, gay and bisexual men and young adults.  HIV is also 100 percent diagnosable and in many cases treatable.  Our prevention toolbox is now exploding with options. We now have the all of the tools needed to end the AIDS epidemic!

The promising new PrEP results arrive at a critical time.  Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the historic National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the nation’s first comprehensive roadmap for fighting the epidemic, and one that places the well-being of Black people front and center. We also have health-insurance reform to provide care to the least among us.

But the anniversary and this remarkable string of study results come during an economic downturn that has seen many people lose jobs and others slip through the proverbial “safety net”—losing health insurance, unemployment, and other benefits.  It also comes at the same time many states are cutting funding for HIV/AIDS-prevention programs and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

So while we have the toolkit to end the epidemic, the question remains whether we have the political will to invest in using the tools strategically, effectively and compassionately.

Read more.

Changing the Landscape of HIV Prevention: What a Difference a Year Makes

via CDC, By Kevin Fenton

On July 13, 2010, President Obama released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The Strategy outlines bold new steps for responding to the domestic HIV epidemic at a critical time in the U.S. HIV incidence has been stable, but health inequalities are worsening, and many Americans no longer feel that HIV is a serious health threat.

The NHAS addressed the long-expressed need to refocus national attention on the domestic HIV epidemic. It established a bold vision, clear goals, and concrete steps for implementation.

The NHAS was indeed the game changer we had hoped for.Yet a strategy would be only words on paper if it is not accompanied by broad-based support, a willingness to re-examine current approaches and robust measures for  accountability. The good news is that all of these elements are in place.

So at the one year anniversary of this landmark policy, let us reflect on how the NHAS is radically changing the landscape for HIV prevention as the epidemic, and our tools for addressing it, continue to evolve.

Read more.

Debt Ceiling Negotiations Could Halt Progress Against HIV/AIDS

via Huffpost Chicago, By David Ernesto Munar

As part of its debt ceiling negotiations, the Obama administration is on the verge of undermining one of the most significant policies it has put in place to alleviate the nation's 30-year HIV/AIDS crisis, which directly affects more than 1.2 million Americans.

In a sad twist of irony, the White House proposal to rollback critical health benefits, essential to the control of HIV/AIDS, is emerging on the one-year anniversary of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, unveiled by President Obama in July 2010.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the White House is considering deep federal funding cuts for state Medicaid programs, a proposal which could have an immediate, chilling effect on efforts to meet the benchmark goals described in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Moreover, it would render the federal health reform law virtually meaningless for millions of low-income Americans.

Medicaid expansion for all low-income Americans, regardless of their health status, is the centerpiece of the health reform law championed by President Obama in 2010. Without full funding from the federal government to help states finance Medicaid expansion, low-income individuals -- including hundreds of thousands with and at risk for HIV -- will struggle to gain access to adequate healthcare services from bankrupt Medicaid programs, which will be unable to make up the shortfall in reduced federal funding.

The White House contends that its proposal for a "blended rate" of Medicaid financing for states is far superior to GOP plans to give states a fixed block grant to cover all their low-income healthcare needs, no matter how extensive. While indisputably better than the draconian GOP proposal, a blended rate would likely shortchange states of billions in Medicaid financing that they otherwise would receive under a fully implemented health reform law beginning in 2014.

Faced with reduced federal funding, most cash-strapped states will have no choice but to ration healthcare services and further erode already dangerously low provider reimbursement rates

Read more.  

The 10 Stories to Follow as HIV/AIDS Enters Its Fourth Decade

via Colorlines, by Ramon Johnson

Thirty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and after decades of research disappointments, 2010 saw major breakthroughs that put scientific advances such as microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and vaccines within reach and created a favorable environment for other prevention and treatment efforts. In fact, some experts predict that over the next year, some of these discoveries could change the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic.

So what comes next? Colorlines will be covering the HIV epidemic closely throughout this year, in which the epidemic plunges into its fourth decade. Here, we examine 10 major HIV stories of 2010—and how experts expect them to unfold during 2011.

1. Microbicides March Toward the Market

Could applying a gel to the vagina or rectum one day prevent HIV? Scientists hope so. Last year, South African researchers reported breakthroughs in microbicide research. They found that inserting a vaginal-gel version of an antiretroviral medicine called tenofovir (prescribed in pill form as Viread) could reduce HIV incidence in women by 39 percent—and up to 54 percent in the most careful users.

What to watch: Never have scientists been closer to identifying a viable microbicide than they are today. Next steps include confirming these results. Some experts believe that a microbicide for women could be on the market by 2014. Efforts to develop a rectal microbicide are also under way; however, vaginal and rectal tissue are very different from each other, so this research may take significantly longer***.

Read the rest.

***Note - Rectal microbicide research is indeed a bit, er, behind compared to vaginal microbicides - but it is moving forward nonetheless. There are small trials underway now with sites in Pittsburgh, Boston, San Juan and Birmingham!

Learn more about rectal microbicide research and advocacy at the home of IRMA - International Rectal Microbicide Advocates. Or visit the IRMA blog.

Rep. Quigley, CDC HIV Director Fenton and Black AIDS Institute Head Wilson to Speak in Chicago November 8th

Going to be in Chicago on November 8th? Consider coming to From Vienna to Washington D.C., a free panel discussion on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and other current events in the domestic AIDS battle featuring Congressman Mike Quigley, Kevin Fenton, MD PhD, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Phill Wilson, Black AIDS Institute. Read more about the event below and Register today!

Download the poster

Ahead of the 2010 International AIDS Conference held in Vienna, President Obama released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, fulfilling a major campaign promise. Learn about the Strategy and other highlights from Vienna at this local community briefing session. In particular, panelists will discuss what the new Strategy means for Chicago and Illinois and how local stakeholders can give input into planning the 2012 International AIDS Conference taking place in Washington, DC.

New Day Redux: The National HIV/AIDS Strategy Arrives

by Mark Hubbard
[pictured below]

“Vision for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.” *

On Tuesday of this week, the Obama administration began movement towards atonement for the mortal sins perpetrated to a lesser or greater degree by each and every administration since AIDS was first recognized.  

I was honored to be one of many individuals invited to the release of the United States’ first National HIV/AIDS Strategy and later to a reception in the White House honoring the HIV/AIDS community and featuring a speech by President Obama.

A blueprint for addressing the domestic epidemic, the strategy outlines challenges faced, steps to be taken, and five-year goals in a reasonably comprehensive and detailed manner.  To reflect a line from Jeffrey, this historic action cannot reverse the losses created by years of inaction, neglect, distraction, and dogma (vs. science)-driven policy, but it is the opposite of those losses.

Making the Promises

Driving home from last August’s National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) in Atlanta, I tried to process what I’d experienced.  One aspect of the event struck me as odd and even a little annoying.  I couldn’t help comparing the plenaries there to those I’d attended at other research conferences where the field’s latest discoveries are typically painted in broad but succinct strokes.  Most of the NHPC plenaries felt like cheerleading sessions – big pep rallies for the team.  It was great to have our activist ideals validated, but wasn’t all of that just so much preaching to the choir?  As I got closer to Nashville my thinking changed.  I came to believe the plenaries had effectively emphasized one simple message: 

It’s a new day.

Eight years of slogging under an anti-science, anti-data, anti-expert administration had taken a bitter toll.  The quietly (and not-so-quietly) suffering folks who’d remained at the CDC during the previous administration must have realized that professionals and volunteers on the front lines had experienced an unprecedented level of frustration and cynicism. 

The doctor’s orders were to provide a hopeful indication that staying engaged, involved, and dedicated would be worthwhile.  The organizers filled that prescription with both words and actions.  The remarkably consistent message presented was affirming, focused, and unfettered:  the Obama administration would return to science, address stigma, recognize the significance of social injustice, embrace the idea of “combination prevention,” and quickly get about the work of developing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  One of the first of fourteen community discussions on the strategy was held then and there at the conference. 

“The United States cannot reduce the number of HIV infections nationally without better addressing HIV among gay and bisexual men.”*

Who spoke in Atlanta mattered as much as what they said.  A highly experienced, diverse, and qualified leadership had been appointed.  Conference organizers had clearly made an attempt to address the Prevention Justice Alliance’s demand for participation by a wide range of federal agencies and departments beyond the CDC and DHHS. 

One by one, a series of new appointees and guests, many of them openly gay and/or HIV-positive, began to hold forth.  We laughed and cheered in shared relief when the words of one guest speaker, “ding, dong, the witch is dead,” rang amplified through the huge ballroom. 

“Another issue involves trying to assess the effect of incarceration on these communities and the impact it has on HIV transmission.”*

Robert Fullilove addressed the social context of the epidemic, dramatically asserting that reducing the impact of mass incarceration of those most at risk is “the greatest opportunity for transforming the social environment and the social drivers of HIV/AIDS at this point in the 21st century.”

“… we need to adopt policies that will produce a workforce that is large enough to care for all people living with HIV, is diverse, has the appropriate training and technical expertise to provide high-quality care consistent with the latest treatment guidelines, and has the capacity, through shared experiences or training, to provide care in a non-stigmatizing manner and create relationships of trust with their patients.” *

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gave the thumbs up from the podium to a group of us demonstrating for health care reform.  Congresswoman Maxine Waters unapologetically and emphatically made the case with great flair.  Various promises were made – there would be healthcare reform, the HIV entry ban would be lifted, and above all, the community would be consulted.

In short, we were inspired.

Releasing the Documents

Promises are just that, but those made at the NHPC have been kept.  A healthcare reform bill was passed, the entry ban was lifted, and the community was consulted.  Most importantly, a National HIV/AIDS Strategy is now a matter of public record.

It will take time for professionals and activists to thoroughly analyze the strategy.  Critique it they must and critique it they will.  The document isn’t perfect, but I view it as brilliant - brilliant because it’s grounded in current data and science, brilliant because the administration appointed the right people from within our midst to lead its development, and most importantly, brilliant as a result of having the rest of the community as its co-authors and editors. 

The primary goals announced at NHPC remain steadfast.  We must 1) reduce new HIV infections, 2) increase access to care and optimize health outcomes for persons living with HIV, and 3) reduce HIV-related health disparities.  A fourth goal has been added:  4) achieve a more coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic in the U.S.  (This explicitly includes monitoring and reporting on achievement of the goals detailed in a companion Federal Implementation

“…providing sterilized equipment to injection drug users substantially reduces risk of HIV infection, increases the probability that they will initiate drug treatment, and does not increase drug use.” *

There is some tiptoeing in the document (particularly the notable lack of mention of anything anal or rectal.) It and those who introduced it on Tuesday spoke plainly to issues that have been, are, and will continue to be difficult and controversial.  The mood among those in attendance was mostly enthusiastic, even triumphant.

“People at high risk for HIV cannot be expected to, nor will they seek testing or treatment services if they fear that it would result in adverse consequences of discrimination.

“In many instances, the continued existence and enforcement of these types of [HIV-specific, i.e. criminal transmission] laws run counter to scientific evidence about routes of HIV transmission and may undermine the public health goals of promoting HIV screening and treatment.” *

While the temptation to feel cynical about the community’s presence at what were clearly media events exists, I have consciously chosen to resist.  When I had the chance, I shook President Obama’s hand, looked him in the eye, and simply said, “Thank you.”  Having grassroots community attend these events made a profound statement:  “We couldn’t have and can’t do this without all of you.”

Moving Forward into Action

That’s the point, and it’s also the challenge.  We have a blueprint, but remodeling has yet to begin.  The administration does not serve in isolation.  Those who have opposed what’s needed in the past will continue to do so.  Funding will be a major challenge.  There will be pushback and compromises and setbacks and disappointments.  As the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy and the Prevention Justice Alliance have reminded us, we must hold the administration’s feet to the fire and Congress must be pressured to act in accordance with the strategy.  A living process must be nurtured that is driven by aggressive implementation, ongoing research, and community activism.  We must continue to better address other aspects of the epidemic more specifically, including research.

“…safe and effective vaccines and microbicides are not yet available and investments in research to produce safe and effective vaccines and microbicides must continue.”

Perhaps the next conversation should involve creating a succinct National HIV/AIDS Research Agenda.  Based on ONAP’s contention that prevention resources must be targeted to address disparities and to help the most affected communities, such a plan must address the failure to equitably fund anorectal-focused research.  It must commit to an infusion of resources that will bring our scientific knowledge of the rectal compartment, lubricants we know are commonly used for anal sex, anorectal transmission, and new rectal-specific prevention technologies into parity with our knowledge of the vaginal compartment, products, transmission, and technologies.

Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you do, if you give a damn about HIV/AIDS in our communities, please read these documents.  The videos from Tuesday are also well worth your time.

• New Office of National AIDS Policy web presence
• Video of Strategy Announcement
• President Obama Speaks on the Strategy’s Release
• The Strategy
• The Implementation Plan
• The Presidential Memo

* Excerpted from The National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States

National AIDS Strategy Unveiled

via Bay Area Reporter, by Liz Highleyman


President Barack Obama released the first comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy for the United States on Tuesday, bringing to fruition a lengthy process that involved input from medical and social science experts, AIDS care and service providers, and people with HIV from across the country.

"This is the first real national HIV/AIDS strategy that the U.S. has ever had," said Judith Auerbach of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, a founding member of the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy, which won a commitment for an AIDS plan during Obama's presidential campaign. "This represents the work of thousands of individuals whose leadership and input over the last three years helped it take shape. Now it is up to all of us to ensure its full funding and implementation and hold our government accountable for progress."

Read the rest at the Bay Area Reporter.

National AIDS Strategy to be Released TOMORROW

via New York Times, by Robert Pear

President Obama will unveil a new national strategy this week to curb the AIDS epidemic by slashing the number of new infections and increasing the number of people who get care and treatment.

“Annual AIDS deaths have declined, but the number of new infections has been static and the number of people living with H.I.V. is growing,” says a final draft of the report, obtained by The New York Times.

In the report, the administration calls for steps to reduce the annual number of new H.I.V. infections by 25 percent within five years. “Approximately 56,000 people become infected each year, and more than 1.1 million Americans are living with H.I.V.,” the report says.

Mr. Obama plans to announce the strategy, distilled from 15 months of work and discussions with thousands of people around the country, at the White House on Tuesday.

Read the rest.

And from the National AIDS Strategy website:

On Tuesday, July 13, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House officials will unveil the Obama Administration's National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  Watch the presentation of the plan online at WhiteHouse.gov/live at 2:00 p.m. ET. 

Later that day, President Barack Obama will deliver remarks at a White House reception honoring the HIV/AIDS Community.  The President's address can also be viewed online at WhiteHouse.gov/live at 6:00 p.m. ET. 

Preparing For the Strategy:

On Tuesday afternoon, the Strategy will be posted online at: WhiteHouse.gov/ONAP.  To help prepare community members for the announcement, the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy developed this Guide to Communicating about the Strategy, which offers ideas on how to leverage the plan to garner local and national attention to urgent issues in our communities.

Other helpful resources include the Gender Monitoring Toolkit and Report Card developed by a coalition of groups to evaluate and monitor the Strategy from a human rights and gender perspective.  Moving Beyond the Status Quo summarizes the recommendations of an independent working group for the Strategy to be maximally effective.

Other community recommendations for the plan are posted at nationalaidsstrategy.org.

Responses to the Strategy

The Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy will host a community conference call on Tuesday, August 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET to share community reactions to the Strategy, reports on the International AIDS Conference taking place in July in Vienna, and discuss advocacy steps needed to move implementation of the Strategy forward.  Stay tuned to this blog for agenda, call-in information, and other details.

A Tranny Girl goes to the White House: a Personal Account by Helena Bushong

via AIDS Connect

As I sit here, I can’t help but ask the question, “Just how did I find myself headed to Washington, DC to advise on public policy at the White House?” It’s been a whirlwind fall that all started with me applying for and being selected as a member of the newly formed IL Alliance for Sound AIDS Policy (IL ASAP), a group of statewide policy and advocacy leaders picked to increase community involvement in HIV/AIDS activities, and fight for fair policies for those living with and at risk for HIV and AIDS.

On November 12, 2009, IL ASAP was fortunate enough to take part in a National HIV/AIDS Strategy Focus Group. Jeffery Crowley, Director of the White House Office of National Aids Policy and Senior Advisor of Disability Policy was the guest at the focus group and listened as community members spoke to issues that need to be addressed when forming the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. I testified at the focus group meeting regarding the barriers facing transgender, women, and aging populations; I had a lot to say!

After the focus group, I spoke with Mr. Crowley as a follow up to my testimony and I offered him a business card in case he had any questions or needed further input from me. I was impressed that Mr. Crowley seemed to listen carefully to testimony, took notes and asked thoughtful questions. I thought to myself, “Who knows?”

I did not think about it anymore until I open my email in early December, and spotted an email from the White House! Subject: December 8, White House “Women and HIV” meeting. It was flagged: Importance - High.

At first, I thought it might be a joke (I do have some prankster friends). I returned to the e-mail to read it again. As I read further, I felt almost unable to breathe. The email went on:

Read the rest.

NAPWA Aims to Reshape U.S. AIDS Advocacy

via POZ.com by David Ernesto Munar

...While a reorganized and reconfigured federal enterprise against HIV/AIDS is desperately needed, so are changes in the way HIV advocacy is nurtured, mobilized and deployed across the country...

Read the rest.

Puyá el burro

Traveler's Notes: AIDS Advocacy in the Age of Obama

by David Ernesto Munar
AIDS Foundation of Chicago

via AIDS Connect

Sometimes you do your best thinking on the beach.

So it was a week after the election as I retreated from the 24-hour news cycle to relax with family in Cartagena, Colombia.

Known as the Heroic City, Cartagena readied for its annual independence parades and festivals as I arrived. The laid-back rhythms of this Caribbean colonial port helped soothe my accumulated stress. On a healthy diet of seafood and sun, I gained a renewed perspective about the significance of this transformative period in American history.

"Is he as impressive as he seems?" I was asked frequently. In this predominately multi-racial society where racism nonetheless prevails, President-elect Barack Obama inspires both a sense of pride and enormous awe in the resiliency of the American spirit.

For those of us affected by HIV/AIDS, Obama's ambitious AIDS plan portends a better future. Could our aspirations be dashed, however, under the weight of AIDS complacency and competing priorities?

AIDS advocates have good reason to be cautious. As the U.S. deployed unprecedented assistance to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Administration of President George W. Bush blocked lifesaving and science-based HIV prevention, divested from community-based HIV organizations, and allowed the domestic epidemic to grow without a commensurate expansion in services.

The global AIDS response, while commendable, nonetheless neglected proven harm reduction approaches, undermined access to condoms and family planning, and failed to empower women, girls, and gay/bisexual men in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

I harbor resentment that no amount of caravans, protests, facts, or organizing succeeded in dampening the Bush Administration's (and its allies') powerful and ideologically based resistance to sound HIV/AIDS policies.

After these past eight years, I'm practically programmed to be disappointed.

So I gathered with my mix of emotions – and North American newspapers – in the quiet moments of my Colombian vacation to recalibrate my thinking about our movement's next strategies and approaches.

Read the rest on AIDS Connect.

The Year in HIV/AIDS Treatment/Prevention

via POZ

A new non-nuke, the apparent cure of an HIV-positive patient receiving a bone marrow transplant and the possibility of earlier antiretroviral treatment for all make the top 10 list of treatment research developments for 2008.

Now more than 25 years since the 1983 discovery of HIV as the cause of AIDS, research continues at a steady clip in pursuit of sound prevention strategies, better treatments and—with a little bit of luck—a cure. While 2008 wasn’t exactly a year of earth-shattering discoveries, there were advances, setbacks and a few telltale hints of interesting things to come in 2009.

What follows is a review—including updated insight from some leading HIV activists— of the top 10 treatment research developments that made us sit up straight in 2008.

Read the rest.

Obama & the Fight to End HIV/AIDS

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago's President Mark Ishaug has a great piece up at Huffington Post this morning about President-elect Obama and the hopes for real change when it comes to AIDS policy in the United States.

Ishaug writes:

Today, on World AIDS Day, I wonder what Ron, Michael, Cecil, Charles, Gigi, Larry, and so many other Chicago AIDS activists gone-by would say of the incoming Obama Administration. Would they triumph in the President-elect's message of hope or lament the effects of HIV stigma, complacency, and competing priorities in muting needed change?

The estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S.--and the millions more who are concerned about and affected by the epidemic--ponder such questions as the global economy spirals deeper into recession and domestic and international security grows more fragile with each passing day.

Read Ishaug's entire article here, and check out the Obama campaign's fact sheet for fighting HIV/AIDS.

World AIDS Delay or Why We Really Need, and May Even Get, A National U.S. AIDS Strategy

by Julie Davids on RH Reality Check

On November 20, over 1000 low-income people of color living with HIV came to the 100 Days to Fight AIDS rally to stand up for the ambitious HIV/AIDS platform under which Obama campaigned for president, including his pledge for a National AIDS Strategy. 100 Days to Fight AIDS Rally100 Days to Fight AIDS Rally

For a change, we approached the nation's capitol in the lead-up to World AIDS Day with a spirit of hope. In the coming months, we must continue to push forward with an expectation of more - not just more resources for existing HIV/AIDS efforts, but for a more strategic and more coordinated, comprehensive response that will actually bring down the rate of infection, tackle the epidemic in communities of color and in gay men, and bring dignity and medical care to the lives of all those who are infected.

And change is what we need. Since we last commemorated World AIDS Day, it's been confirmed that HIV/AIDS is worse in the United States than we ever knew.

In August, CDC finally revealed the data showing that incidence of HIV has always been higher than the 40,000-new-infections-a-year figure trotted out for over a decade - and that the epidemic has stubbornly wedged itself into our society at the rate of 56,300 new cases a year.

CDC calls that a stable epidemic.

I call it a travesty.

And think those that are infected are able to get the care they need? Those flaming radicals at the Institute of Medicine have noted that over half of those who should be on AIDS treatment can't get it consistently.

Read the rest.

Preparing for a New Administration - and Putting Gay Men's Health Squarely on the Agenda

It is not simply enough to address the consequences of stigma and discrimination against LGBT Americans.

by Randall Ellis
Senior Director of Govt Relations
Legacy Community Health Services - Houston


Discrimination and a lack of appropriate funding for our community’s health needs deprive many gay men from achieving the optimal level of health and wellness. Although LGBT people in general have gained greater visibility in our society, the past eight years have been a difficult for gay men’s health and wellness issues. While the current administration has used LGBT Americans as scapegoats in their quest to win elections and maintain political power, our most pressing health issues have had to compete for dwindling funds. As Washington DC prepares for a new administration, gay men can now hope to proactively advance important health care issues instead of fighting to simply maintain current funding on programs.

National AIDS Strategy

Worldwide, most cases of HIV are spread from heterosexual contact, not sex between men. Here in the U.S., however, gay men make up a disproportionate share of HIV/AIDS. We as gay men must continue to take responsibility in leading the fight to end this disease.

It is a disgrace that we are more than 25 years into HIV/AIDS epidemic and the United States of America still does no have a comprehensive strategy to address HIV/AIDS; something we require of foreign nations seeking assistance through PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). It is time that the United States put in place a comprehensive plan that pulls together government agencies, community organizations, as well as the business community to create a coordinated plan to bring down HIV infection rates, increase access to lifesaving care, and reduce racial disparities.

Increased Resources for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment are issues greatly underfunded in the United States. It is time that we invest more resources in interventions designed specifically for gay men. In addition, we need more funding for and LGBT treatment and mental health clinics.

Often estranged from their families of origin due to their sexual orientation, gay men also face homophobic attitudes from co-workers, media, and religious and social institutions. These negative messages, combined with an overall lack of social support, frequently lead to feelings of isolation and depression that in turn can have a deleterious effect upon the overall health of this population. Studies have consistently documented higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts among LGBT populations due to these social stresses.

It is not simply enough to address the consequences of stigma and discrimination against LGBT Americans. We must also push for a nationwide campaign to combat the discrimination and stigma. We must address the root causes of mental health and substance abuse by creating a more tolerant and accepting society.

Healthcare Reform

The issue of reforming our nations’ health care system has gained momentum over the past year. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the new administration must act now to change our current system. It is important that LGBT Americans have a seat at the table as our nation looks at reforming our healthcare system. Gay men and their families must be able to provide input to ensure our issues and concerns about healthcare are addressed.

The coming year hold the promise of great change for our country. Gay men must seize the opportunity and proactively push a healthcare agenda that deals with the unique challenges our community faces.


[Click here to read previous input into the 2009 Gay Men's Health Agenda. The feedback we've received was featured in the closing plenary of the National Gay Men's Health Summit and will be a means of moving the community forward in the new year around issues that are important to all of us. Click here (sign up, and look for the appropriate group) to get involved in the organizing and ongoing dialogue. Please feel free to send in a post of your own here. We will be happy to publish it! ]

Poor and Gay Aren't Mutually Exclusive Categories

By Diana Scholl

Housing Works

When it comes to addressing HIV and AIDS among gay men, there are a host of policy positions that need to be changed to create equality for gay men and men who have sex with men of all races . For example, we need to have comprehensive sexual health and awareness education which includes HIV prevention and treatment education both for students and those not currently in school HIV prevention education that teaches about safer sex for everyone — gay, straight and everything in-between-- in an open and accurate way. And there’s no way for us to have an effective National AIDS Strategy without acknowledging that all levels of government must do all that they can to end discrimination on the basis of who we have sex with.

But it’s impossible to demand that government address HIV among gay men without also demanding a critical examination of race and poverty.

A few not-so-fun facts:

• A black gay man is much more likely to get infected with HIV than a white gay man even if they’re both engaged in the same amount of “risky behavior”

• Black and Latino gay men are more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS and HIV concurrently and less likely to receive lifesaving antiretrovirals and continuing care than his white counterpart.

• 25 percent of gay teenagers are kicked out of their homes and become homeless, making them more likely to become infected with HIV than their non-homeless counterparts.

As Charles King said in a speech on World AIDS Day last year, “The reality is that AIDS is no longer so much a gay disease in the United States as it is a disease of race and poverty. And that brings to light a dirty secret about the organized and politically engaged gay community - that we are overwhelmingly white and reasonably well-off, and our movement is almost exclusively about rights for ourselves and people like us.”

To address both the needs of gay men and of everyone, we need targeted case management and housing to address as both prevention and health care measures. We need to implement targeted campaigns for prevention and getting people into care. We need the government to sponsor media campaigns that can’t be ignored. And of course, we need universal health care so no one falls through the cracks.

But above all, we must combat stigma and discrimination to get at the root of those problems that the government alone cannot solve.

The CDC’s rise in reported infections shows that 45 percent of new infections were among blacks, and 53 percent were among men who have sex with men (MSM). And too often we talk about AIDS as a disease affecting “black people” and “gay people” as though these are always mutually exclusive categories. But 63 percent of new infections among blacks occurred among men who have sex with men, most of them young men.

It’s impossible to talk about HIV and AIDS without talking about the intersection of race, gender, poverty and a litany of other issues, and it is important that the AIDS community and the gay community address these issues head on.

[Click here to read previous input into the 2009 Gay Men's Health Agenda. Please feel free to comment there - or you could send in a full post of your own here. We will be happy to publish it! The feedback we receive will be featured in the closing plenary of the upcoming National Gay Men's Health Summit and will be a means of moving the community forward in the new year around issues that are important to all of us.]