From left: From left, Omari Wiles, 20, Marcel Gumbs, 18, and Owon White, 19, testified at City Hall recently about the increase in HIV/AIDS among young black MSM (men who have sex with men). Photo: Erline Andrews.
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A new generation of activists unites via the Internet. Log on and Join the Impact.
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Spurred by a gay marriage ban in California, simultaneous protests were
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Next up: A Dec. 10 event called A Day Without a Gay.
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By Erline Andrews
Friday, May 09, 2008
“Critical.” “Emergency.” “Crisis.”
The frustration felt by activists about rising rate of HIV infections among minority gay men is reflected in the words they're beginning to use to describe the situation.
"We must act now," said Prof. Darrell Wheeler of Hunter College in one of a line of compelling testimonies before the New York City Council recently. The presentations painted city health officials as out of touch and not doing nearly enough to deal with the convergence of problems—homophobia, racism, poverty, homelessness, to name a few—facing young minority men who have sex with men (MSM) and leading to the risky sexual behavior that's caused the spike of HIV/AIDS within their ranks.
"Yes. I am a young, black, gay man," Joseph Jefferson told the council's committee of health. "I couldn't tell you how long it took me to muster the courage to say those words, let alone to strangers." Jefferson choked up and paused to contain himself as he pleaded with the committee, which is chaired by Councilman Joel Rivera of the Bronx.
"Protect them,” Jefferson said. “They will make you proud, I promise you." Jefferson and the three cohorts he sat with wore on their chests red and black buttons with the phrase "46% is not acceptable."
The figure is the number of black MSM who are infected with HIV according to a 2005 study of five cities—including New York—by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The corresponding figure for white gay men was 21 percent.
At the core of the crisis: Black MSM younger than 30. While the number of new HIV diagnoses declined by 22 percent among MSM older than 30 between 2001 and 2006, according to the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found, it increased by 30 percent among younger men, doubling among MSM between 13 and 19. (In the latter age group, the cases grew from 41 to 87 cases.) Black and Hispanic teenagers comprised 90 percent of these new diagnoses.
ER Coalition
Earlier this year, representatives of the network of community organizations who serve the city's gay male population began meeting to hammer out a strategy to deal with the problem. They formed the Emergency Response, or ER Coalition, an entity whose mission it is to find ways, within and without the non-profit framework, to fight down the rising numbers. One of its first steps is getting the city to acknowledge that the situation has reached “a state of emergency” and requires appropriate action.
"We believe the city needs to take a bold initiative," said Gary English, one of the coalition's coordinators. "The numbers are so horrible, and they're continuing to get worse." The coalition is lobbying for increased funding, more research and multi-layered approaches in tackling problem.
“All the city wants to talk about is testing, testing, testing,” said Tokes Osubu, executive director of the Harlem-based Gay Men of African Descent. “If HIV prevention starts and ends with testing, then we’re in trouble.” Osubu pointed out a few of the many sides to the issue.
“There’s a terrible crisis around homelessness,” he said. “There’s a huge crisis around childhood sexual molestation. There’s a huge crisis around homophobia. Those are the issues that actually drive the epidemic.”
The coalition so far has the support of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the council. But it’s just the beginning.
Marjorie Hill, CEO of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, said she’s optimistic that eventually there will be a positive outcome but realistic about what it will take to achieve it.
“We’re in the fight for the long haul,” she said.
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