Blacks Still Disproportionately Affected by HIV/AIDS; Not News To Me...

UNITED STATES: "US Blacks Continue to Bear the Brunt of HIV/AIDS"
Reuters Health (02.06.09)

African-American men and women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said ahead of Saturday's ninth annual Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

African Americans comprise 12 percent of the US population but account for almost half of new HIV infections and nearly half of all Americans living with the virus. CDC data found that in 2006, more new HIV infections occurred among young black men who have sex with men than in any other segment of the US population, the NIAID statement noted.

"To win the battle against HIV, it is crucial that African Americans - and indeed all Americans - get tested for the virus during routine medical care, as the CDC and the American College of Physicians recommend," said Fauci. Of the 1.1 million Americans who have HIV, 20 percent do not know they are infected.

"Increasingly, scientific evidence indicates that beginning treatment for HIV as early as possible in the course of infection has advantages for infected individuals, their partners and their communities," Fauci said. "Early treatment appears to improve the odds of staying healthier longer."

"Treatment is no substitute for prevention, however," Fauci added. "NIAID-funded investigators are working to develop and validate new methods to protect against HIV infection." The institute is conducting HIV/AIDS research that specifically benefits African Americans.

For information on NIAID-sponsored HIV/AIDS clinical trials that are open to participants, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

National Black HIV Testing Event in Tennessee

TENNESSEE: "Testing for AIDS Virus this Week"
Commercial Appeal (Memphis) (02.03.09):: Mary Powers

In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, free HIV testing will be offered Friday at two Memphis locations. At St. Andrew Community Life Center, 1472 Mississippi, tests will be administered from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the first 100 testers will receive a $10 gift card. Other health screenings will also be available; telephone 901-775-2968. A free health event from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at McFarland Community Center, 4955 Cottonwood, will include HIV tests, dental cleanings for children and adolescents, eye exams, breast cancer checks, and other screenings.

US: Bias on HIV Rates in Black Gay Men

UNITED STATES: "Bias Behind Higher Rates of HIV in Black Gay Men?""
Southern Voice (Atlanta) (01.30.09):: Matt Schafer

A major focus of the fifth National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS, held Jan. 22-25 in Atlanta, was exploring the reasons for the community's high HIV rate. A 2005 CDC study of five US cities found that 46 percent of black men who have sex with men surveyed were HIV-positive, meaning they were almost twice as likely to be infected as other MSM.

"Gay black men are more likely to contract HIV than any other population in the country," said Caudie Grissom, a counselor with National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities (NAESM).

"We just have not been prioritized" among the populations the federal government serves, said Ernest Hopkins, vice-chair of the National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition (NBGMAC). "That's due to homophobia and racism, just very clearly that's it."

"Most black gay men live in the same community they've always lived in," said Hopkins. "Everything has been focused on something that works in a community that is essentially gay, and we don't have an environment that is essentially gay."

Without a core geographic location, African-American MSM said it is more difficult to access medical care and learn about HIV prevention. Few organizations advocate for black gay men, and few studies focus on the group, though it has been overrepresented among those infected since the 1980s, said Cornelius Baker, national policy advisor for NBGMAC.

African American men can experience racial stress, sexual prejudice, promiscuity stereotypes, gender role expectations, and other pressures in the medical community, said Dr. David Malebranche of Emory University's School of Medicine. Poorer men especially face barriers to finding an empathetic doctor who understands their unique health risks, he noted.

Depression - experienced by 70 percent of African-American MSM at some point in their lives - can fuel HIV risk, and many men do not seek treatment for it, said Dr. Linda Smith of NAESM.

BREAKING NEWS: CT State Supreme Court Same Sex Marriage Decision

CT Same Sex Marriage

October 10, 2008 NBJC Applauds Connecticut's Decision on Same Sex Marriage Today the Connecticut Supreme Court handed down yet another historic decision upholding the freedom for all people to marry the person that they love, regardless of sexual orientation. The State Supreme Court ruled that Connecticut's civil union law is unconstitutional because it is pernicious discrimination against people of the same gender. The ruling affirms decades of progress made within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement in the state of Connecticut. H. Alexander Robinson, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) stated, "The forces of justice continue to march forward and we are excited for our brothers and sisters in Connecticut that they have full rights to marriage equality. Connecticut joins a growing number of States in historic rulings that guarantee that all citizens will be treated equally before the law." Jason W. Bartlett, Connecticut State Representative and Deputy Director of the NBJC stated, "I am excited that I live in a State that recognizes the principle that separate is not equal. I congratulate the Connecticut State Supreme Court for recognizing that coming up with a separate classification of "civil unions" was pernicious and discriminatory. In the end, regardless of sexual orientation, we are all equal in the eyes of the law. Now it is incumbent on us all to continue this work for justice across our country." The National Black Justice Coalition is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Our mission is to end racism and homophobia. NBJC envisions a world where all people are fully empowered to participate safely, openly and honestly in family, faith and community, regardless of race, gender-identity or sexual orientation. As America's only nationwide Black gay civil rights organization, the NBJC is the authoritative source on LGBT issues as they affect Black communities. For more information, please contact Jason Bartlett 203-733-4266 or jbartlett@nbjc.org. If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for National Black Justice Coalition. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from National Black Justice Coalition, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line).

CDC Says 1.1 Million Americans Infected with HIV

UNITED STATES: "CDC Says 1.1 Million Americans Infected with HIV"
Reuters (10.02.08):: Will Dunham

An estimated 1.1 million Americans were living with HIV at the end of 2006, CDC reported Thursday. The prevalence rate, 447.8 cases per 100,000 population, was based on reports of new HIV infections from 40 states with the best data, AIDS diagnoses and deaths from all 50 states, and extended back-calculation. The number of people living with HIV is growing as more people become infected and as effective treatments delay AIDS-related deaths.

The estimate is similar to a 2003 CDC report that more than 1 million Americans had HIV. Using the improved surveillance data, CDC now estimates that 994,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in 2003.

"These data really show the continued impact that the epidemic is having on Americans, and they really reinforce the severe toll that is expected on multiple communities," said Richard Wolitski, acting chief of CDC's HIV/AIDS prevention division.

The data show the epidemic disproportionately affects African Americans and gay and bisexual men. Males comprised 74.8 percent of prevalent HIV cases; 48.1 percent of all cases were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact. High-risk heterosexual sex accounted for 27.6 percent of infections, including 72.4 percent of cases among women. Injection drug use was the cause of 18.5 percent of HIV cases. African Americans represented 46.1 percent of all people living with HIV in 2006.

In 2006, one in five Americans with HIV - 232,700 - did not know they were infected.

"We're not going to be able to treat our way out of this epidemic," Wolitski said. "We need to have strong prevention programs so we can prevent these infections from occurring in the first place."

The report, "HIV Prevalence Estimates - United States, 2006," was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2008;57(39):1073-1076).

Gay Black Celebrities

By: Xen Van Adams
From: www.xenvanadams.blogspot.com

We live in a Day and Time where the BLACK and LATINO communities wouldnt DARE Support, Embrace or UpHold the career advancement of One of our Own Entertainers/Celebrities, IF they were to take the SAME stance that has been taken and enveloped by Clay Aiken, Ellen Degenerous, Neil Patrick Harris, Rosie O'Donnel, or Lance Bass.

From Queen Latifah and Missy Elliot, to Tyler Perry, Bow Wow & Omarion, Diddy, Duane Martin, Tim Hardaway, John Legend, 'Spectacular' of Pretty Ricky, and a slew of others, its going to take ONE of them to TAKE THE STAND, Before the Glass Ceiling of Homophobia is even cracked a Lil.

ORIGINALLY, This Video was going to be presented as a 'News-Oriented'/'Political Propoganda' view on the 'Issue'. However, once I began shooting the A Roll Footage, I decided to make the project more 'Entertaining'. MOST of my Videos have been SERIOUS in Nature. Im lightening it up, just a bit...

Meanwhile, KEEPING TRUE to My Opinions, Regular Commentary and Critiques.

Black-GAY Celebrities XPOSED
[HIDDEN in FRONT of MEDIA Screens]

A Black Man (Why Not!!!)

Why is it that a Black Man can create a tiny piece called a filament (electric light - Lewis Latimer) that allows people to see in the
dark?

But can't be seen fit to lead a country to the true light.
 
Why is it that a Black Man can create an instrument (clock - Benjamin Banneker) that all people use to tell time?
 
But people don't think it is time for him to run a country.
 
Why is it that a Black Man can design a place for the high authorities to meet in and a place for the president to live in (The Capital and the White House
Phillip Reid (a slave) and Pierre L'Enfant)?
 
But not good enough to lead these meetings or live in himself.

Why is it that a Black Man was brilliant enough to do the first open heart surgery (Dr. Daniel Hale Williams) and show the world how to get and preserve
plasma (Dr. Charles Drew)?
 
But not good enough to put a program in place where everyone can afford this surgery.

Why is it that a Black Man was creative enough to design an instrument (traffic light - Garrett Morgan) to bring multiple people (traffic) to a halt?
 
But not seen creative enough to design a plan to bring all this unnecessary and worthless fighting between countries.
 
Why is it that a Black Man could create the soles (shoes - Jan Matzeliger) that people walk on every day?

But not seen good enough to fill the shoes of a bad president.
 
Why is it that a Black Man was smart enough and brave enough to teach himself (Fredrick Douglas and Thomas Fuller- both slaves) and others how to read, write and/or calculate math?

But not seen smart enough and bold enough to calculate a platform to be President to a country that sure needs another first by us.

So you see my Brother and Sisters what I am saying is let us not forgot our past, which led us to our present and can definitely be the backbone to our future. 

We were good enough, smart enough, creative enough, and bold enough then, so let us all give Obama the chance to show that we are
still these things and more. We all are as strong as our weakest link, so do not be that weak link that denies our people that chance to show we still can OVERCOME AND BE THE FIRST!

 
OUR NEXT PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!