#black msm

[thoughtlessarse]

Texas Refuses to Expand its Medicaid to Help Combat HIV

Researchers say communities of color will be the most affected if the expansion doesn't happen. 

As Medicaid starts to enact expanded coverage in a number of states, Texas’s refusal to do so could have catastrophic outcomes for Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in Houston.

The analysis, published in Medical Care, focused on HIV transmission among Black MSM between 18 to 34 years old. This disproportionately affected group accounted for 19 percent of all new diagnoses in Houston, according to News Medical.

Texas is one of 11 states that hasn’t adopted the Medicaid expansion. Even if they do, researchers also note a need to put a focus on increasing antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) distribution in order to eliminate HIV transmission.

Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACT) has allowed for an increase in health benefits, including increased use of ART and PrEP to prevent HIV transmission. With Houston as the most populous city in the Southern United States, the lack of coverage creates “massive coverage gaps that disproportionately burden people of color.”

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[14kgoldupgraded]

Silent epidemic: black gay men in US face 50-50 risk of HIV

HIV is at an all-time high in the black gay community in the US

The risk of contracting HIV is one in two if you are a black man in the US who has sex with men. This statistic is all the more startling because so few people are aware of it. [...] Today, a white gay man in the US has a 1 in 11 chance of being HIV positive. 

[...] The deep south received $35 (£26) per HIV-affected person in private grants in 2014, while the national average was $116. [...M]en who grow up gay in the south [are] less likely to seek information about, and protection for, their sex lives.

CDC info here. This statistic is quite old news, but that’s part of the point of the article; although this is a persistent problem, it’s not at all widely known, nor is it being tackled as strongly as it deserves.

[therainbowtimes]

Study: Higher Rates of HIV Among Black Gay Men Expected to Continue for Decades

Study: Higher Rates of HIV Among Black Gay Men Expected to Continue for Decades

By: Eric Brus*—

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) currently account for about two-thirds of all new HIV infections in the U.S., and infection rates are particularly high among Black MSM. In a recent study, Emory University researcher Eli Rosenberg and colleagues used CDC data to generate estimates of race-specific HIV transmissions, transmission rates, incidence rates, and…

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[jelaninaji]

Founded in May of 1999, the Black AIDS Institute is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people. The Institute's Mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV.

[u-hip]

Domestic Violence within the black lgbt community

[phillipbri4n]

tumblr.

So. Why did I create a tumblr. you ask? Well, it's quite simple really. The past weekend has opened my eyes to an entirely new and comfortable world. Now, I know most can agree that being a gay man can be difficult (especially during adolescence/discovery). But I can safely say that it is no longer difficult for me (in most aspects) and that I have found comfort in being a young, black gay man.

Now, do not misconstrue. I have always being comfortable in my skin; and those who know me personally can plainly see that through the blindest eye. And, without comfort, I would never have had the courage to come out. But, after attending the 2012 National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and other Health Disparities in New Orleans, Louisiana, I visualized that I am not alone in this world. I met numerous educated black gay men, and was bombarded with a smorgasbord of information from these educated black gay men.

It is quite evident that we, as a community, have an obligation to the black gay community to educate, raise awareness, and promote HIV prevention among it. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), MSM (men who have sex with men) account for 53% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. CDC’s most recent data show that between 2006 and 2009, the number of new infections that occur each year increased among young MSM — driven by a 48% increase among young, black MSM 13 to 29 years old. That is not OKAY. There in lies our obligation.

Young black MSM will not cooperate without outreach. My favorite quote of the weekend was the African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child". I won't go into detail on the meaning behind the proverb, but I am sure you all catch my drift. Not to mention the other quote, "It's a sausage fest. You can have your sausage as long as it's in a package." Safe sex. -- We must reach the youth in any way possible; even for the small things, because small can grow to large. I will end this blog on the moral of the story being that I created this tumblr. because of my obligation. I am going to use this and all other forms of media to reach out to the black gay community; as I hope everyone else will do the same for theirs and other communities. Also, extra hands are always acceptable. :D

Yours Truly,

PhillipBri4n