BCA Finds Black Churches Can Help Quietly Break AIDS Taboos

Recent media attention has focused on rising rates of HIV infection among men of color, particularly African-Americans. A CDC study found surging HIV infection rates among men: 4.4 percent of gay and bisexual men ages 23-29 are newly infected. Among African-Americans in that age group, the figure is 14.7 percent, or one in seven. Half of newly infected men in the United States are African-Americans, the CDC found. Often obscured, however, is the growing infection rate among African-American women. The CDC has acknowledged that AIDS is now the number one killer among African-American women. And infection rates for black women over 50 are now similar to those for women ages 14-23.

The black community, according to the Black Coalition on AIDS (BCA), faces enormous hurdles to getting the prevention message out. "There's a lot more homophobia in the black community," said BCA's David Wallace. "If a guy is a MSM [man who has sex with men] who also has sex with females, he's not going to tell a woman about that." Racism is another factor, Wallace said, charging that a comparable epidemic among white women would get much more media exposure.

Churches, which have long been support centers for the community in times of crisis, often reject homosexuality so vehemently that black gay people feel trapped. The BCA's church-based campaign is called "In the Spirit of Health." The main poster shows a group of black women of varying ages, dressed in bright red choir robes, affectionate and happy. Under the heading "Get Tested," the poster urges, "Get Tested for HIV, as well as anything else your doctor suggests . . ." "The overall message is general health needs, like checking for osteoporosis, glaucoma, or breast cancer. But the message in addition is the high risk for black women over 50. They may need to ask their doctor for an HIV test." Wallace said.

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