Bay Windows - National News February 15, 2001
Beth Berlo Bay Windows staff

In addition, San Francisco has watched the rate of HIV infection more than double since 1997 from 1.04% to 2.2%. After a six-city survey, data from the Centers for Disease Control found that one in 10 young gay and bisexual men overall and nearly one-third of African American gay and bisexual men are HIV-positive.

"Ever since the beginning of the epidemic, Boston seems to mimic or follow the same trend (of STD infection) only about six or eight months later," Kessler said of trends in New York and San Francisco. "We noticed this early on and it continued throughout the 80s and 90s." Kessler credits the amount of travel gay men do between Boston and New York and San Francisco. "We have a lot of young people who say 'I'm going to San Francisco' and are totally oblivious," he says. " They were only 10 when HIV first broke out. They go to San Francisco which has a slew of sex clubs and they don't think about it, and before you know it, they are getting infected."

While the media hyped fad drug Ecstasy continues its popularity at nightclubs and raves across the country, it is particularly dangerous for gay men, advocates say. Is there a link between æXÆ and unprotected sex? "There's no doubt about that at all anymore," Kessler says. "Boston's certainly right in the groove when it comes to recreational drugs."

But what about the race disparity around HIV figures? While some blame cultural differences, others bemoan the lack of funding. Arguably, the most consequential element which lies beneath the lopsided numbers of HIV infection among black men stems from attitudes around homosexuality within the black community itself. Homophobia and oppression overshadow tolerance for gays by far, African American gays say. The result? Double lives, secrecy, forced bisexuality, and unsafe sex.

"A lot of times, black and Latino gay men are forced out of the school system because of homophobia," said Michael Roberson, director of services at People of Color in Crisis in New York. What's more, he said, "The church community is not accepting, and they're out there living on the streets and indulging in behavior that puts them at risk. They have nowhere to go because the infrastructure is not what it is in the white gay community. The very ability to exist as you are puts you at less risk."

Kessler too attributes the strong cultural pressures within the black community to the increase of HIV infection among black men, which he says, the white community does not have. "Many of the men are still living at home or with their families," whereas, in comparison, he said, "half the white gay community in Boston has moved here! And many of them perhaps came here for education and had more money. The economic differences are incredible."

Pamela Johnson, executive director of MOCAA in Boston, says part of the issue right now is identifying black men who are having sex with men ù a population she calls, "increasingly invisible." Some, Johnson said, are connecting with organizations that are identified as gay focused. But, she adds, "As they enter these programs, they realize they are not multicultural in a sense that they fit, and then step out."

Prostitution, too, has plagued this population, especially with transgender youth, where as much as 80 percent engage in some form of prostitution, Johnson said. "We don't tell them what they can or can't do, but we do tell them about risk factors associated with behavior," she said.

The youngest person who came into MOCAA and had tested positive for HIV is 14. At MOCAA, they encourage testing, but are more apt to encourage problem-solving techniques, Johnson said. For instance, most are coming to MOCAA because they want to drop out of school.

Another disparity between suburban, mostly white, schools and inner-city, mostly black, schools, is the number of gay-straight alliances. "But," Johnson says, "I think there are very few people of color who are advocating for gay youth of color at this point."

Johnson has also been examining another risk factor for HIV among black men which is rarely talked about among AIDS groups: incarceration. After sexual behaviors were examined which seemed to parallel the behaviors of most white gay men, she said, "It was the only variable that was different." Johnson will meet with several African-American, gay and HIV advocates to discuss the issue later this month.

Another big hurdle right now, advocates say is getting black churches to accept that homosexuality exists in their ranks and make it safe to come to church again. "Last year, we got them to start thinking about prevention," Kessler said. "They've all had gay congregants, ministers, and parishioners, and they never talked about it. But many of them have now died from AIDS and it has forced the different churches and pastors to say it doesn't serve any purpose to say these people just have a virus and let's crack the denial."

Kessler and AAC are currently working with more than 40 inner-city churches to institute change. "We're helping them destigmatize, mainly because everyone you talk to in the black community knows someone with HIV much the same way that every gay man in the Æ80s knew someone with HIV. This same scene is being played out in the black and Latino communities," Kessler said, adding, "Nothing teaches someone about AIDS better than those scenarios."

Getting tested for HIV is still another disparity between white and black gay men. "Blacks are more apt to get pneumonia," Kessler said. "They're still coming up with PCP and that's when they're getting diagnosed. When you're poor or disconnected from the gay community or afraid to say to your doctor that æI'm gayÆ à well, it's just not going to happen."

Kevin McGruder, director of Gay Men of African Descent in NYC, feels that the level of resources for gay black men is not what it is for gay white men. "I think the HIV statistics bear that out," he said. "If you look at behavioral changes, the message has to be put into a cultural context. People who can best do that are people who are from the community. The messages have to be tailored to the different groups, but there are limited resources. We're one of a few and small struggling organizations and there's no way we can do what needs to be done."

Like McGruder, Roberson feels the resources available aren't divided evenly. "The money is not funneled down to us fairly," he said. "The epidemic has been in our community for a while. There's racism when you say the number of HIV infections are going down. It's going down in the white community, not ours. White gay men have more agencies than black gay men do. They've been doing the fight longer. They've built an infrastructure. In [New YorkÆs] Chelsea [neighborhood], there's a community for white gays with homes, restaurants, stores and agencies. Black gay men have a more difficult time building infrastructure."

Gay Men of African Descent is moving to Harlem from West 14th Street later this month. Folks like McGruder and other GMAD employees worry even about moving into African American neighborhoods. In a recent New York Times article, one GMAD client named Jay said he wouldn't be caught dead wandering into a gay organization on his home turf. Jamaul Roots, a prevention counselor at GMAD, says he understands Jay's dilemma. When asked how he will reach him and the hundreds of other Jays out there, Roots, stared at the wall a long time before answering and said, "I don't know."
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