Is the Worst Behind Us?

HIV infections finally drop significantly among African-American women, but this is no time to stop fighting.

BY NEAL BROVERMAN

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Civil rights leaders, health care workers, and all those who battle against HIV and its disproportionate effect on people of color got a welcome surprise in December. In a lengthy report released at the end of 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first-ever decline in new HIV infections among African-American women. The number dropped 21%, from 7,700 to 6,100, between 2008 and 2010. It appears that African-American women have finally turned a corner with HIV, though at the moment it’s unclear if these numbers are anomalous or if targeted initiatives have finally taken root. The CDC itself focused in on this group of people last year with its “Take Charge. Take the Test” campaign, which advocated HIV awareness and testing in 10 cities where black women are particularly at risk.

Leisha McKinley-Beach, director of stakeholder engagement at the Black AIDS Institute, believes the reduction is partly thanks to the federal government’s emphasis on black women (she has much praise for the CDC’s pro-condom Sista program) as well as an unwavering commitment to African-American women from groups such as hers.

“We have an African-American HIV university where we’ve trained people, including women, across the country to go back to their communities and educate them about HIV,” McKinley-Beach says of the Black AIDS Institute’s initiatives. “So they train their neighbors and also build networks. There’s also been wonderful social media campaigns like Greater Than AIDS, which we partnered with the Kaiser Family Foundation on.”

Teaming up pays dividends by helping campaigns reach a greater number of people, McKinley-Beach says. She points to the successful partnerships of the CDC’s current Act Against AIDS campaign, which utilizes TV and radio public service announcements, print and online advertisements, doctor participation, and nonprofit and private-sector organizations to reach the public about prevention and testing. The federal agency had 19 partner groups to help blast its message, including the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the National Council of Negro Women, and the NAACP. Innovative thinking by other groups could also be behind the reduction, McKinley-Beach says. Officials in Florida, which in the past few years made it a priority to test and educate black women, sought assistance from an African-American–focused women’s motorcycle club.

“When we think of HIV, that’s not a group we automatically think of,” McKinley-Beach says.

Florida officials would have club participants take a pledge to get tested and educate other women about HIV, and then take another black woman to get tested. It was a success.

“With all these interventions, I’m not surprised to finally see some progress,” McKinley-Beach says, adding she hopes such initiatives serve as models for other groups greatly affected by HIV, like young gay and bisexual black men. “I know we have a long way to go, but for now it’s nice to celebrate that our strategies are working for one of the hardest-hit populations with HIV.”

LaVera Anom is determined not to rest on any laurels. The HIV-positive mom is a graduate student in marriage and family studies and also a peer educator for AIDS Project Los Angeles. She speaks to everyone from high school students to mothers just like herself about healthy relationships, condom negotiation, coping mechanisms for living with HIV, and the importance of knowing your status.

“I can’t tell you how many times when I’m open about my status and mention it in my graduate studies, women are shocked and say, ‘How did you get it? You’re educated and you’re this and you’re that.’ You can be as educated as you want to be, but it means nothing if you’re not educated about HIV,” Anom says. “I think there’s a growing awareness [among black women about HIV], but there still needs to be more.”

To underscore Anom’s point, though the rate of new HIV infections among black women has dropped, it remains 20 times that of white women, the CDC reported. Anom believes the most effective messages for black women are those delivered by black women. “That’s another reason I’m so open about my status now,” she says. “I realize I have to be that face. I have to talk about it if I want to see a change and make a difference.”

Anom views the CDC’s report with cautious optimism, knowing that good news can translate to a decrease in urgency.

“Unfortunately, when we see things start to go well, we back off and it becomes a problem again,” she says. “[HIV discussion] needs to be a part of culture, part of daily life, part of our part of our education system on a long-term basis.”

Outfest Fusion Film Festival Honors Angela Robinson

The annual film festival showcasing LGBT people of color celebrates its 10th anniversary March 22 – 23 and will honor the lesbian writer/director/producer with the 2013 Fusion Achievement Award.

BY JASE PEEPLES

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Outfest, the Los angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing, nurturing, and protecting LGBT media, has announced out lesbian writer/director/producer Angela Robinson (True Blood, The L Word, Hung, D.E.B.S) has been selected to receive the 2013 Fusion Achievement Award at this year’s Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival taking place on March 22 – 23 in Hollywood.

“I was incredibly flattered and grateful Outfest chose me,” Robinson said. “It’s always nice to be acknowledged for the work you do and I’ve always tried my best to do right by the queer community. “However, it’s a double-edged sword,” she joked. “Because it made me realize that now I’ve been around long enough to be considered for an award like this.”

When asked why she felt out lesbians of color were not as visible as other members of the LGBT community in the entertainment industry she said, “In my experience there’s tons of sexism and racism in Hollywood, but far less homophobia. I think out lesbians of color have to overcome barriers of gender and race on top of sexuality to be successful and perhaps it’s that combination of obstacles that maintains a lower number of people in the industry who identify as all three.”

However, the writer/director/producer believes film festivals like Outfest Fusion are leveling the playing field. “I still feel like film festivals are where you can find the freshest and most exciting work,” said Robinson. “They’re an amazing ground where filmmakers can have the chance to see their work in front of an audience. There’s a real supportive community there and that’s essential for emerging artists who are working to get their vision out there.”

In addition to the Fusion Film Festival, Outfest recently announced its first ever Fusion Lab, a micro-cinema and media lab taking place in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park throughout the month of March. Fusion Lab will host screenings of short films, workshops taught by Outfest alumni, and will have workstations with cameras and editing software available as well. “It’s incredible,” Robinson said of the Fusion Lab experiment. “Personally I feel the biggest barrier for emerging filmmakers is that they just don’t get the opportunity learn the things they need to in order to put a film or TV show together. That’s why labs like these are invaluable, because so many new voices will learn the techniques they need to be heard and we need those voices to effect change.”

Fusion 2013 will be held March 22nd – 23rd at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and REDCAT downtown, and is presented by HBO and NBCUniversal.

For a full schedule and more information visit Outfest.org.

Documentary Shows What It's Like to Be Young, Black, and Gay

A documentary from Director Amir Dixon is touring the country and raising the visibility of LGBT people of color.

BY NICK PACHELLI

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Amir Dixon in Friend of Essex .

Amir Dixon’s recently released documentary, Friend of Essex,explores the lives of young black gay men and the struggles they face.  Dixon, 23, packed the film with one-on-one and group interviews, and jarring narratives that probe the difficult questions surrounding masculinity, identity, sexuality, and race. Viewers get a closer look at the black LGBT church, notions of masculinity within gay culture, and most powerfully, the mask worn by many young black gay people.

Friend of Essex was inspired by the teachings of the black gay writer, poet, producer, and activist Essex Hemphill, who died in 1995 of AIDS-related complications. His work, which focused on homophobia, racism toward LGBT people, and community, set the stage for Dixon’s film.

“The film also pays homage to Marlon Riggs [writer and director of Tongues Untied], who displayed the experiences of black gay men in the late ’80s,” said Dixon.

The film has been screened at colleges, community centers, and other venues across the country since its release in January in Boston. But Dixon strives to push his film further — which is why he will be traveling to Uganda to screen it in late April. The Ugandan parliament is still considering the controversial “Kill the Gays” bill, and the country’s strict laws against homosexuality have forced Dixon’s screening to be held on a private, invite-only basis.

Dixon sees it as an honor to share his film with the LGBT people of Uganda.

“When I started production on my film I had met a young man from Uganda who had just moved to the states,” says Dixon. “He shared with me firsthand what was taking place in Uganda and the work that we as a community could do to support the LGBTQ community there.”

Dixon realizes the important nature of his work for LGBT people around the world, “because the struggles that our friends and family face in Uganda for LGBTQ equality is not just their struggle, but our struggle here in the States as well.” Ultimately, Dixon hopes his film will “empower the voiceless. I want that little kid that lives in Small Town, U.S.A., and doesn’t encounter anyone that looks like them to know that I do this for them. I fight every day for them.” Dixon wants to be the fearless voice of courage much like those who came before him, like his role models Audre Lorde, Essex Hemphill, Marlon Riggs, and Assotto Saint.

“Audre Lorde told us our silence won’t protect us, and I add to that, our silence is consent and affirmation,” says Dixon. “So I choose to use my voice, my work, and my words to face my oppressors head on.”

Click the header link to watch a trailer.

First Look: Teen Gay Wedding

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BY JERRY PORTWOOD

Are David Harris and Tre’Darrius Anderson the country’s youngest African-American gay couple to marry? David Harris and Tre’Darrius Anderson, both 19, were married in Washington, DC January 18, 2013, and they may be one of the youngest gay couples to legally wed. At least that’s what The Scoop seems to think. The young couple from Tennessee, who tied the knot in front of the Lincoln Memorial, will also be featured on an upcoming episode of My Teenage Gay Wedding.

As described on the My Teenage Gay Wedding page:

David and Tre’Darrius, both 19, are young, black, and gay, and getting married in not-so-progressive Memphis. But the odds are stacked against them. Once very popular, David’s friends ostracized him after he came out in high school. Neither mother is responding to the wedding invite. And their only adult supporter, Tre’s uncle Theo, thinks they’re too young to marry. When flaky groomsman Rico says he might have to work on the wedding day, the couple is crushed. The biggest obstacle, though, is making the marriage legal. That means going to Washington, DC, but Tre must first get over his fear of flying!

Click the header link above to watch a video with clips from their wedding.

Illinois, USA: Latino Leaders Say Yes to Marriage Equality

Written by scott 

Illinois

In a further sign of the strengthening of ties between the various coalitions of the democratic party, a group of prominent Latinos in Illinois is standing up for marriage equality. The Southern Illinoisan reports:

In an open letter to lawmakers Sunday, 23 Latino leaders say all families deserve to be treated with respect. Among those signing the letter are former Chicago City Clerk Miguel Del Valle and Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Latino Policy Forum.

We only win (all of us) when we stand together. As a community, we need to work with our Latino (and African American and other) partners to improve things for everyone.

KYE ALLUMS DISCUSSES HIS PERSONAL HISTORY AS A TRANSGENDER ATHLETE

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In honor of Black History Month GLAAD is highlighting the roles African Americans have played in the advancement of LGBT rights. Recently, GLAAD spoke with basketball player and transgender advocate Kye Allums. Kye made headlines in November of 2010 when he became the first transgender man to play Division I basketball while attending George Washington University. Kye Allum’s decision to come out as transgender while playing basketball and his continued efforts to advance LGBT rights in athletics prove him as a pioneer in the LGBT community.

GLAAD spoke with Kye about his experiences as a transgender, African-American athlete and what advice he would give to youth who are also LGBT athletes.

Click the header link above to read the interview.

The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States

strugglingtobeheard:

sinidentidades:

1. While people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States’ population, they account for 60 percent of those imprisoned. The prison population grew by 700 percent from 1970 to 2005, a rate that is outpacing crime and population rates. The incarceration rates disproportionately impact men of color: 1 in every 15 African American men and 1 in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men.

2. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. Individuals of color have a disproportionate number of encounters with law enforcement, indicating that racial profiling continues to be a problem. A report by the Department of Justice found that blacks and Hispanics were approximately three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop than white motorists. African Americans were twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police.

3. Students of color face harsher punishments in school than their white peers, leading to a higher number of youth of color incarcerated. Black and Hispanic students represent more than 70 percent of those involved in school-related arrests or referrals to law enforcement. Currently, African Americans make up two-fifths and Hispanics one-fifth of confined youth today.

4. According to recent data by the Department of Education, African American students are arrested far more often than their white classmates. The data showed that 96,000 students were arrested and 242,000 referred to law enforcement by schools during the 2009-10 school year. Of those students, black and Hispanic students made up more than 70 percent of arrested or referred students. Harsh school punishments, from suspensions to arrests, have led to high numbers of youth of color coming into contact with the juvenile-justice system and at an earlier age.

5. African American youth have higher rates of juvenile incarceration and are more likely to be sentenced to adult prison. According to the Sentencing Project, even though African American juvenile youth are about 16 percent of the youth population, 37 percent of their cases are moved to criminal court and 58 percent of African American youth are sent to adult prisons.

6. As the number of women incarcerated has increased by 800 percent over the last three decades, women of color have been disproportionately represented. While the number of women incarcerated is relatively low, the racial and ethnic disparities are startling. African American women are three times more likely than white women to be incarcerated, while Hispanic women are 69 percent more likely than white women to be incarcerated.

7. The war on drugs has been waged primarily in communities of color where people of color are more likely to receive higher offenses. According to the Human Rights Watch, people of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than whites, but they have higher rate of arrests. African Americans comprise 14 percent of regular drug users but are 37 percent of those arrested for drug offenses. From 1980 to 2007 about one in three of the 25.4 million adults arrested for drugs was African American.

8. Once convicted, black offenders receive longer sentences compared to white offenders. The U.S. Sentencing Commission stated that in the federal system black offenders receive sentences that are 10 percent longer than white offenders for the same crimes. The Sentencing Project reports that African Americans are 21 percent more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants and are 20 percent more like to be sentenced to prison.

9. Voter laws that prohibit people with felony convictions to vote disproportionately impact men of color. An estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote based on a past felony conviction. Felony disenfranchisement is exaggerated by racial disparities in the criminal-justice system, ultimately denying 13 percent of African American men the right to vote. Felony-disenfranchisement policies have led to 11 states denying the right to vote to more than 10 percent of their African American population.

10. Studies have shown that people of color face disparities in wage trajectory following release from prison. Evidence shows that spending time in prison affects wage trajectories with a disproportionate impact on black men and women. The results show no evidence of racial divergence in wages prior to incarceration; however, following release from prison, wages grow at a 21 percent slower rate for black former inmates compared to white ex-convicts. A number of states have bans on people with certain convictions working in domestic health-service industries such as nursing, child care, and home health care—areas in which many poor women and women of color are disproportionately concentrated.

All this while whites use and sell drugs more than poc, that needs to be hammered home too. We aren’t more criminal and we are treated as such. As Anthony Paul Farley said “there is no war on drugs. People love their drugs.” There is a war on Black people in America, a war against poc and their right to thrive.

(via crunkfeministcollective)

Source: sinidentidades

The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States

sinidentidades:

1. While people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States’ population, they account for 60 percent of those imprisoned. The prison population grew by 700 percent from 1970 to 2005, a rate that is outpacing crime and population rates. The incarceration rates disproportionately impact men of color: 1 in every 15 African American men and 1 in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men.

2. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. Individuals of color have a disproportionate number of encounters with law enforcement, indicating that racial profiling continues to be a problem. A report by the Department of Justice found that blacks and Hispanics were approximately three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop than white motorists. African Americans were twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police.

3. Students of color face harsher punishments in school than their white peers, leading to a higher number of youth of color incarcerated. Black and Hispanic students represent more than 70 percent of those involved in school-related arrests or referrals to law enforcement. Currently, African Americans make up two-fifths and Hispanics one-fifth of confined youth today.

4. According to recent data by the Department of Education, African American students are arrested far more often than their white classmates. The data showed that 96,000 students were arrested and 242,000 referred to law enforcement by schools during the 2009-10 school year. Of those students, black and Hispanic students made up more than 70 percent of arrested or referred students. Harsh school punishments, from suspensions to arrests, have led to high numbers of youth of color coming into contact with the juvenile-justice system and at an earlier age.

5. African American youth have higher rates of juvenile incarceration and are more likely to be sentenced to adult prison. According to the Sentencing Project, even though African American juvenile youth are about 16 percent of the youth population, 37 percent of their cases are moved to criminal court and 58 percent of African American youth are sent to adult prisons.

6. As the number of women incarcerated has increased by 800 percent over the last three decades, women of color have been disproportionately represented. While the number of women incarcerated is relatively low, the racial and ethnic disparities are startling. African American women are three times more likely than white women to be incarcerated, while Hispanic women are 69 percent more likely than white women to be incarcerated.

7. The war on drugs has been waged primarily in communities of color where people of color are more likely to receive higher offenses. According to the Human Rights Watch, people of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than whites, but they have higher rate of arrests. African Americans comprise 14 percent of regular drug users but are 37 percent of those arrested for drug offenses. From 1980 to 2007 about one in three of the 25.4 million adults arrested for drugs was African American.

8. Once convicted, black offenders receive longer sentences compared to white offenders. The U.S. Sentencing Commission stated that in the federal system black offenders receive sentences that are 10 percent longer than white offenders for the same crimes. The Sentencing Project reports that African Americans are 21 percent more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants and are 20 percent more like to be sentenced to prison.

9. Voter laws that prohibit people with felony convictions to vote disproportionately impact men of color. An estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote based on a past felony conviction. Felony disenfranchisement is exaggerated by racial disparities in the criminal-justice system, ultimately denying 13 percent of African American men the right to vote. Felony-disenfranchisement policies have led to 11 states denying the right to vote to more than 10 percent of their African American population.

10. Studies have shown that people of color face disparities in wage trajectory following release from prison. Evidence shows that spending time in prison affects wage trajectories with a disproportionate impact on black men and women. The results show no evidence of racial divergence in wages prior to incarceration; however, following release from prison, wages grow at a 21 percent slower rate for black former inmates compared to white ex-convicts. A number of states have bans on people with certain convictions working in domestic health-service industries such as nursing, child care, and home health care—areas in which many poor women and women of color are disproportionately concentrated.

(via caffeine-queer)

Source: sinidentidades

thepeoplesrecord:

Awesome video clip of MLK Jr talking about young Black revolutionaries:

The young militants are in the revolutionary spirit and they are concerned about revolutionizing certain values that have been existing in our society that need to be revolutionized. And I think the other thing we must see is that as President Kennedy said, ‘those who make peaceful revolution impossible, only make violent revolution inevitable’…and I think the culprit must be pointed out. And the culprit in this situation is not merely the one with the molotov cocktail but the culprit is the Congress, it’s the recalcitrance of white society, the vacillation and the ambivalence of white America on the whole question of genuine equality for the black man.

Source

YouthPrideServices: Black & Gay At Historically Black Colleges And Universities

Part 1 of a series from NYPS members who attend HBCU's across the country.

Part 1 of a series from NYPS members who attend HBCU’s across the country.

NYPS talks to 20 of its members who attend HBCU’s across the country and put together a series to coincide with Creating Change 2013 and the National Strategy For Black Gay Youth In America. Here is the first installment in the series.

“What is most clear for black gay men is this: We have to do for ourselves now, and for each other now, what no one has done for us. We have to be there for one another and trust less the adhesions of kisses and semen to bind us. Our only sure guarantee of survival is that which we create from our own self- determination” - Essex Hemphill

It’s bittersweet that 2 years after Vibe Magazine’s explosive article, “Mean Girls of Morehouse” hit newsstands nationwide, and I am still speaking about being Black and Same Gender Loving at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Click the header link above to read the full article.

NIH AWARDS THE FENWAY INSTITUTE THREE YEAR GRANT TO ADDRESS HEALTH DISPARITIES IN LGBTQ YOUTH OF COLOR

TW: mention of substance abuse, racism

Fenway Simple Color Logo 

Contact: Chris Viveiros

617.927.6342 / 617.721.7494 
cviveiros@fenwayhealth.org

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded The Fenway Institute a three-year, $800,000 grant to address health disparities in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) youth of color, through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). This funding will allow Fenway to establish a community-based research initiative to create and pilot interventions to address those disparities.  BAGLY (Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth), JRI Health, Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center, and the Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth are partners on the grant.

Evidence indicates that LGBTQ youth of color use substances (including alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs), engage in risky sexual behaviors, and attempt suicide in high rates disproportionate to those of both white LGBTQ youth and heterosexual youth of color.  Such evidence underscores the pressing need for interventions to improve the health of LGBTQ youth of color, many of whom face “tricultural” experiences of stigma: homophobia from their racial/ethnic groups, racism from the LGBTQ community, and the intersection of homophobia and racism from the culture at large. 

“This grant provides a remarkable opportunity for Fenway and our partners. Our work will be based on the Positive Youth Development model – helping young people to achieve their full potential. We aim to learn how they can achieve the healthy lives everyone is entitled to and what our partners and supporters can do to make this easier,” said Judith B. Bradford,PhD, Co-Chair of The Fenway Institute and Principal Investigator on this grant.

Click the header link above to read the full article.

ADVOCATE Op-ed: Why Black and Hispanic Kids Need GSAs

A student explains why his predominantly black and Hispanic high school needed help in nurturing LGBT students.

BY C. JACOBS

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C. Jacobs, president of the Jeremiah E. Burke GSA (left) with Quincey J. Roberts, co-founder and youth program coordinator of HBGC (right).

One of the most important parts of any community is acceptance, and that’s what the GSA is all about. Our events show that whether you’re gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, there is a space in our school where you can be yourself.

That’s why I joined the Burke’s GSA, to help my peers understand that they can express who they are and what they feel while at school, and that it will be accepted and respected. I hope my participation in the GSA will help me gain friends, knowledge, and responsibility and help students and teachers at the Burke know that there is a place at our school where we explore, appreciate and celebrate differences.

Click the header link above to read the full article.