Black gay men in action
Lifetime risk of a diagnosis of HIV infection in the United States. Hess KL, Hu X, Lansky A, Mermin J, Hall HI. Compounding this is the stigmatization of gay black men on both the individual and community level, which further drives at-risk individuals away from accessing care.
![black gay men in action black gay men in action](https://i0.wp.com/www.therainbowtimesmass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/aidsaction_sm.jpg)
According to a study from Harvard Medical School in 2011, such beliefs contribute to decreased survival time in black men by discouraging appropriate treatment behavior, including the consistent use of condoms and linkage to HIV-specific care.
![black gay men in action black gay men in action](https://www.poz.com/legacy/poz_magazine/blogs/PaulKawata/400391_Men2356-thumb-480x280-1879.jpg)
Only 59% of those treated for HIV remain in care.
![black gay men in action black gay men in action](https://hivgov-prod-v3.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/NGMHAAD-2019-fb-profile-instagram-prep-english.jpg)
In 2018, the poverty rate among black Americans was 22% versus 9% in whites. High rates of poverty, unemployment, and incarceration in black communities are inherently linked to higher rates of HIV.The CDC reports that syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea in black men occur at 4.5, 6.6, and 8.9 times the rate, respectively, of white men in the U.S. Higher rates of co-occurring sexually transmitted diseases only increase the risk. Anal sex remains among the highest risk factors associated with HIV infection, carrying an 18-fold greater risk of transmission when compared to vaginal sex.