Guess I can't complain too much, but...

Barack Obama's speech last night to accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States and to lay out his goals for his administration was almost everything that I could have expected. It was inspiring, emotional, challenging, historic, and I can go on and on. So should I be concerned that the greatest killer of people of African descent in history wasn't mentioned? Am I being nick-picky? Just because George Bush has made it a priority, should I have expected Barack to follow suit? After all, there are many other important issues that we face, as a country. Maybe I am biased, but I just feel that HIV/AIDS is one of them. I hope and pray that he makes it a priority of his administration after he gets elected.

Time for Barack to step up!

With all of the hoopla surrounding Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech and taking into consideration how many troubling issues are plaguing this country, I can't help wondering: Will HIV make the cut? I recently read an article in Newsweek about "What Bush Got Right." One of the (few) things that he has received almost universal accolades for has been his leadership in funding HIV treatment in other countries. Bush made HIV one of his priorities in his administration. Can we expect Barack to do less? Stay tuned.

Where are we now?

With the release of new statistics by the CDC revealing that the HIV epidemic in this country is worse than we thought, it seems like a good time to take a look at where are. The mood at the International HIV/AIDS conference was "much more sober compared with previous meetings. There were no "major breakthroughs" announced, and "cutting-edge research findings were rare."

Therefore, it doesn't seem as if the calvary is coming. We have to continue to fight HIV/AIDS the old fashioned way: Prevention. There is an old saying: everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die to get there. Everyone wants HIV/AIDS to just go away, but are we willing to change our behavior?

Homophobia and HIV

In addition to my work at BEBASHI, I am also a psychotherapist. Recently, I treated a male African American adolescent who accepted that he was gay, but struggled with a lack of support from his family, who made him feel that Christianity was incompatible with homosexuality. In my career, I have spoken with many LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning) individuals, the majority of whom having experienced similar rejection, mistrust and even outright hostility from so-called "straight" people, many of who use religion as their justification. The recent International HIV Conference held in Mexico provided many examples of how our homophobia is harming our efforts to fight HIV. "Homophobia – whether propagated by government leaders, enforced by outdated laws, or perpetuated through stigma and discrimination – continues to fuel this epidemic, and should therefore be the number one enemy of those who are serious about ending this global tragedy," said Dr. Pedro Cahn, IAS President, AIDS 2008 Co-Chair and President of Fundación Huésped in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I am often asked whether I am uncomfortable being around LGBTQ individuals. The answer is no-because, I am comfortable with myself. The Bible teaches us to love thy neighbor as thyself. How many people have to die from HIV/AIDS or from hate crimes; how many young men and women have to be scarred for life, sometimes literally kicked out of their homes, before we realize that hate of any kind, for any reason, is just wrong.

Why Not Female Condoms?

Studies have repeatedly shown that although female condoms are widely accepted and that many women prefer them to male condoms, policy makers often fail to promote and invest in their use. The result has been the limited us of a powerful weapon to help fight HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy. According to an Oxfam report presented Thursday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, titled "Failing Women, Withholding Protection," there are about three billion male condoms sold worldwide annually, compared with about 26 million female condoms.

Part of the problem is that female condoms are much more expensive than male condoms. However, why couldn't governments or businesses get together to develop a lower cost version. Or, what about governments using there considerable economic and political power to force manufacturers to lower their prices by offering to buy large quantities in bulk. Either way, this is another area crying out for real leadership.

Teens and HIV

HIV/AIDS is impacting our youth at an alarming rate. Although African Americans represent only 16 percent of U.S. teens, they represented 69 percent of all new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2005. Dr. Helen Gayle, president of CARE, said, "There is a lack of youth tailored prevention programs that relate to the youth culture." More teens are sexually active than even their parents want to admit. According to the 2007 CDC'S Youth Risk Behavioral Survey 66.5 percent of high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse. The survey also reports that 16.3 percent of teens had sex before the age of 13.

The United States has received a fair amount of criticism for pushing its abstinence-only program, even though most studies question its effectiveness. What many fail to realize is that all HIV prevention education programs includes abstinence information. While I agree that sexual health education should start at home, unfortunately, and especially with for the kids most at risk, it ain't happening. Many of the children most at risk live in chaotic situations where survival takes precedence. It's time that we stop pontificating and start demanding more funding for youth-oriented sexual health prevention programs.

Presidential Candidates Respond to the New HIV Statistics

Not sure if you noticed that the two major presidential candidates have now weighed in on the CDC'S recent release of revised HIV statistics. As one might imagine, their responses reflects the considerable differences in their policy positions. John McCain's response seemed to be textbook political-speak. Basically he pledged to work with different "stakeholders" to continue the fight about HIV/AIDS. No specifics. His reference to it as a "dreaded disease" sounds very 20th century. To his credit, Obama on the other hand, pledges to develop a "national strategy." He speaks of confronting the stigma associated with HIV that is "too often tied to homophobia." Clearly either he, or his policy people are much better versed in HIV policy.

Stay tuned

CDC Releases New HIV Data

On Saturday August 2, 2008, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finally acknowledged that it has been underreporting its data on HIV infections. This comes as no surprise to most HIV/AIDS advocates who have expressed concern about their annual estimates of approximately 40,000 new infections. The data shows that in 2006, an estimated 56,300 new HIV infections occurred – a number that is substantially higher than the previous estimate of 40,000 annual new infections, with estimates ranging between 55,000 and 58,500 during the three most recent time periods analyzed. The new estimates show that gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities and African American men and women are the groups most affected by HIV. African Americans, while comprising 13% of the US population, accounted for 45% of the new HIV infections in 2006. Other key statistics in the report state:

• That new infections among blacks are at a higher level than any other racial or ethnic group, with a rate that is seven (7) times the rate of whites.
• More infections incurred among people under the age of 30 (34%) than any other age group.
• One quarter (25%) of HIV-infected persons are unaware of their HIV infection. These individuals account for one-half (50%) of all new infections.
• Male to male sexual contact (MSM) accounted for 53% of the new infections.

Unfortunately the report does not go into detail about the impact on women of color, even though it is clear that minority, especially young minority, women have been severely impacted.