How HIV And AIDS Are Slowly Killing Black People

African-Americans have been hit harder by HIV than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. PERIOD.

In addition to this, on average, African-Americans with AIDS don't live as long as the other ethnic groups.

AIDS is a leading cause of death in African-Americans, especially in young women.

According to the CDC as of 2018, black women were 14 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than white women and 5 times more likely than Hispanic women.

So, you’re probably asking why us? As if our community isn’t already suffering with racial injustice, police brutality, unequal access to healthcare, higher incarceration rates, and systematic oppression - why do we have yet another thing trying to kill, steal and destroy our community?

Well, one reason is simply the lack of awareness.

If you’re a man that has sex with other men, you are 80% more likely to contract HIV. So, you’re probably thinking if you are a woman, or a man that doesn’t have sex with other men, you’re in the clear. Well, it’s ultimately that thinking that is damaging us as black people.

*This chart represents the 23% of new HIV diagnoses by heterosexual contact.

According to the CDC, men and women who reported heterosexual contact continue to be affected by HIV. In 2019, heterosexuals accounted for 23% (8,617) of the 36,801 of new HIV diagnoses. Heterosexual men accounted for 7% of new HIV diagnoses. Heterosexual women accounted for 16% of new HIV diagnoses.

So this idea that HIV is a “gay disease” is simply untrue.

Another reason is that the black community has serious issues when it comes to accepting and understanding black men that have sex with men AND women.

Let’s be honest.

Our community hasn’t created a safe space for black bi-sexual men, or black men that don’t consider themselves as bi-sexual or gay, but have or previously had sex with men. (Yes, there is a difference between the two. )

Though we are seeing more LGBT representation in general, the black men that have sex with men and women typically aren’t boldly waving gay pride flags around.

Instead, many of them lead publicly straight lives.

Why?

Well, a lot of it has to do with the historical black Christian upbringing - the one that preaches that being gay is a sin and will ultimately land you in hell, yet simultaneously ignores the fact that gay people do in fact exist, go to church, believe in God, AND yet still remain gay.

(And quite frankly, nobody living has been in hell to really determine whether a gay person will end up there or not - JUST SAYING!

One more thing, the mere notion that any Pastor, Priest or person, regardless of their religious position or affiliation, believing that they, a fellow human that also sins, could “convert” a gay person into being straight is beyond delusional. If you disagree with me I suggest you first watch Boy Erased and then we can have a healthy debate in the comments. Be ware - I’m a preacher’s kid that knows the Bible very well.

But let’s get back to the topic at hand.)

What are gay people supposed to do exactly? Choose between their religion or their sexual identity.. or simply hide in plain sight so that they don’t have to do so.

According to Author Jeffrey McCune, the black church has actually become a meeting space for “down low” men, a phrase widely adapted by the black community that refers to men who have sex with other men and women, yet do not identify as gay or bisexual.”

“The black church, is a social space of high constraint, which produces the necessity for this secret. Churches require black men to be down low.”

These “down low” men typically don’t wear protection, as protection is said to confirm an act of homosexuality, which they don’t identify with. Therefore, their sexual acts are unprotected.

And since many black men are uncircumcised, this can place them at even higher risk for HIV/AIDS. Additionally, many inner-city black men do not have access to regular health care.

Another reason is that in general, the infection rates for STDs are higher for African-Americans.

As a group, African-Americans are more likely to be uninsured or publicly insured than whites which means less access to HIV tests.

Most African-American men and women get HIV when they don't use a condom or other protection when they have sex with a man. It's less likely for a black man to get HIV from a woman. And it's more likely for a black man than a white man to get HIV by having sex with men.

Another reason is the fact that even though black people only make up 12% of the U.S. adult population, they represent 33% of the prison population.

On the contrary, white people only represent 30% of the prison population, though they make up 63% of the adult population. Hispanics represent 23% of the prison population, though they make up 16% of the adult population.

As these black men are incarcerated for numerous years with other men, they often begin having sex. And many times this sex is unprotected due to the lack of condoms available in prison and the lack of privacy to obtain them.

According to The Commission On Sex in Prison’s final report where numerous men shared their experiences of having sex in prison, one heterosexual man said that he had consensual sex with gay or bisexual prisoners “out of necessity”. He said he had resumed exclusively heterosexual relationships since leaving prison.

“I’m completely straight; what happened then was just about having my sexual needs met, in a particular time and place, where I couldn’t get [heterosexual] sex,” he said.

Another reason is due to drug use.

Sharing drug needles or syringes with someone who is infected with HIV is the second-most common way African-American men and women get HIV. It spreads HIV through blood contact.

So, ultimately, our lack of awareness and less access to health care, higher incarceration rates and the use of drugs, alongside our culture’s inability to allow men to publicly have sex with both men and women, have led our community to be greatly impacted with HIV/AIDS.

So, here’s what we MUST do.

  1. GET TESTED EVERY THREE MONTHS - Especially if you are sexually active, have multiple sexual partners, have sexual intercourse with people off of the internet, or live in a highly populated state such as Washington D.C. (which received 39% of HIV diagnoses per 100,000 people), Georgia (23%), Florida (21%), Louisiana (20%), Nevada, Maryland and Mississippi (16%), Texas (15%), South Carolina (14%), New York and Alabama (12%), California, New Jersey, Tennessee and North Carolina (11%), Arizona, Virginia and Illinois (10%). Click here for the entire HIV diagnosis graph of the USA.

  2. USE CONDOMS - Always keep in mind that a man that makes little to no effort to use a condom, probably never uses them. Additionally, he may not often get tested, if at all. According to The Body Pro: HIV/AIDS Workforce, four out of every five young black aren’t using condoms.

3. BE OPEN, HONEST AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT YOU AND YOUR PARTNER’S SEXUAL PREFERENCES - It’s no secret that our issues with being gay and being black have negatively impacted our large exposure to HIV. A lot of this comes from the homophobia in the black community which is perpetuated by both straight black men and black women. Black men simply aren’t allowed to be bi-sexual. In addition to this, sexual preferences like anal play are often deemed as “gay” in our community. We need to be open, honest and understanding about our sexual preferences and our partner’s sexual preferences.

4. SHARE THIS ARTICLE - Let’s continue this conversation! Share this article and other resources about HIV and the black community.

Disagree with me - well that’s what the comment section is for. I’d love to hear your opinion. Feel free to leave a comment below.

QUESTION -

Would you date someone who is bi-sexual?

Why or why not? Comment below!

Eboni LaceyComment