Andrew McFaul
Andy McFaul

Yes there is a higher rate of the other STDs . . .Sexually Transmitted Infections. in the African American community. Lack of interest (and the ability to afford) condoms, higher expectations on women to be in contol of birth control, and poverty/lack of health care all contribute.

Then there is another little factor of the higher incidence 1 out of 10 of correctional institutionalization aka prison.

But back to the B thing. . .tis a very different life of the bisexual, and it is a very interesting world we live in where bisexuals exist in numbers that have yet to be collected.

It’s been all to easy to let straight black people get away with THEIR complicity in keeping from informed, being tested, not using protection and having multiple partners without the aforementioned precautions.

I know of a young black woman that became HIV positive while having an affair with a married man. Who infected who, doesn’t matter. He put his wife at risk. The young woman became pregnant.
AFTER she knew of her HIV status, she went on to have ANOTHER child by a former boyfriend who currently had a girlfriend.
She knowingly exposed two men (and two children) to HIV. And wasn’t married to either of these men, but also knew they were involved with other women.

THIS had nothing to do with gay men, and everything to do with being irresponsible and in defiance of precautions or honesty.

The gay community has enough responsibility to go around too. And of course MEN are more promiscuous then women. Always have been.

Believe me when I say that not nearly enough black gay men have or will sleep with black women to make them the reason for the level of infection rates there are among straight black women.

But I know plenty of straight black people who are ignorant of EVERYTHING regarding sexual health, orientation and so on.
Stands to reason that ignorance can spread LIKE a virus among vulnerable minorities and this is another example of that.

1) Home testing should be available and inexpensive for those that want it. Inexpensive means around $10.00 US or less.

2) Test kits should come with easy to understand literature that will ensure correct self administration of the test. This should include basic pre- and post-counseling information.

3) An 800-like number should be available with appropriate automated handling to confirm the viability of the test kits themselves which should all have serial numbers.

4) A live person should be available to counsel anyone calling the 800 number with a valid test serial number.

5) Individuals that get a positive result should have the option of sending in a clean specimen for further testing and verification by more sophisticated laboratory means, perhaps for a nominal additional fee.

1. Cost of home tests. . .although it seems relatively minor for some, a reliable test is $50. So if there is someway to reduce the cost of the in-home or clinic tests, many folk are reluctant to spend money on a test when faced with other expenditures; ie gas, food, rent, etc.

2. having worked in as a sexual health educator, many are quick to get tested(following an act of unprotected sex), not fully understanding that there is a window period. A false negative after unprotected sex can leave one with the illusion that they were ‘lucky’ or they have a ‘safe’ partner.

3. In those populations, black men and hispanic men who have sex with men do not identify as gay, and thus messaging to those populations have been ineffective and darn right troublesome. Encouraging testing also discourages those seeking testing because of unintentional labeling of ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’.

4. many of the same populations do not have access, financial means, (and have a fear) of medical care.

Home testing is a great alternative for folk in rural areas, for those who have received (and understand)the necessary pre and post counseling and for those who have unproteacted sex with multiple partners.

More education, both individually and through community programs on HIV and other sexual health related issues is a necessity, but until those who are hung up on the evils of sexual education stop impeding such dispersal of such information, these communities are going to have higher rates of infection.

I would say mostly homophobia, and not just a hint. And black women bear the brunt of this. I seem to remember reading that black women have the highest rates of infection, primarily caused by drug use with infected needles and their men being on the down low.

A good example of how homophobia in the black community is not only bad for gay people, but bad for black people as well.

Three words.

Condoms fail sometimes.

Becoming infected does not mean that one has engaged in risky sex, it means one has been exposed to the virus.

I’m surprised you fell for such a flawed source. A calculation of the number of people who have HIV/AIDS in a population is not the same as the rate of infection.

The majority of studies of rates of new infection – new cases per period of time – indicate that the rate of infection in gay men has stayed relatively stable, and lower than the failure rate of the most commonly available brand of condoms.

Higher rates of infection correlate with low income level, and the cheapest brands of condoms have the worst failure rates.