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There is a deadly synergy of homophobia, AIDSphobia and racism at work, and it is devastating the black community. If we as a society want to have an impact on the number of new HIV infections, we cannot afford to ignore these core issues. It is now absurd to ignore that feelings of self-loathing, isolation and worthlessness are core factors in HIV infection. This view, however, is difficult to sustain in the face of mounting data. Some may believe that self-esteem and identity are merely tangential factors that play only a minor role in the spread of HIV. The effects have been devastating, contributing to rates of HIV infection among men of color that far exceed those among other groups. In the general society as well as in the wider gay community, where racism is also prevalent, we often encounter rejection and marginalization. We have been scorned within the black community, which often views us with open hostility. It was also not surprising that the CDC specifically cited homophobia as a significant factor in the risk for HIV infection among men of color.Īs a whole, black gay men have been invisible in American society. Given this background, it was not surprising that the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that in 1998 the number of AIDS cases among gay and bisexual African American and Latino men had for the first time exceeded that among gay and bisexual white men.
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Those feelings in turn led to self-destructive behavior. Facing hostility and rejection within the black community, as well as in society as a whole, many of the men who participated in the research study reflected lives deeply steeped in feelings of isolation and lack of self-worth.