Prevention Plans Fail Black Men

Communities In Crisis African-Americans The Institute for Gay Men's Health, an organization formed by AIDS Project Los Angeles and New York City's Gay Men's Health Crisis, says alarming federal data prove that African-American men are largely being shut out of HIV prevention efforts. Based on testing of 1,767 men in five cities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that as much as 46% of gay and bisexual black men are HIV-positive, one of the highest percentages of any U.S. group. This distressingly high figure leaves no doubt that efforts to promote safer sex and harm reduction among black men are failing or are nonexistent, say institute officials. They also say the data clearly indicate more federal, state, and local funding must be directed to programs combatting homophobia, HIV stigma, and racism'all of which play key roles in the spread of the virus among gay African-Americans.