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April 2005 Monthly Monitor
Advocates for Youth's Youth of Color Initiative
Feature: Young Men who Have Sex with Men
Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are at high risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), seven percent of all 15- to 22-year-old YMSM are infected with HIV. Another study, conducted by the University of California at San Francisco, demonstrated an annual HIV infection rate of 2.6 percent among young men who have sex with men. In other words, among all 15-year-old men who start having sex with other men today, almost 40 percent will be infected with HIV by the time they are 30.¹
Young men of color who have sex with men are at even greater risk for HIV and STIs due to socioeconomic and cultural issues that perpetuate lack of access to culturally appropriate prevention programs and to health care. Many African American/black and Latino YMSM come from traditional families, where religion and family are important and homosexuality is stigmatized. To avoid community isolation, discrimination, or verbal or physical abuse, many young men of color who have sex with men conceal their same-sex sexual behavior. They may not disclose their sexual orientation or even acknowledge it to themselves. They may not self-identify as gay or bisexual, and this can keep them from responding to prevention messages aimed at gay or bisexual men.
In many African American/black and Latino communities, these young men—who have sex with men and who do not identify as gay or bisexual—are often referred to as being on the "down low" (DL). Same-sex sexual behavior has occurred among people for millennia. However, the "down low" phenomenon became widely known only in 2002, when researchers identified heterosexual sex as the single risk factor for large numbers of African American/black women who were HIV-positive.
To reduce HIV and STI transmission among young men of color who have sex with men and among their female sex partners, communities must develop and implement culturally appropriate and comprehensive HIV/STI prevention as well as testing and treatment programs. Such programs must include interventions that address same-sex sexual behavior rather than sexual orientation.
For information on important social and sexual health issues related to young men of color who have sex with men, please visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/iag/ymsm.htm and http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/transitions/transitions1404_8.htm
Research on HIV/STI transmission among young men of color who have sex with men include http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5133a1.htm [Unrecognized HIV Infection, Risk Behaviors, and Perceptions of Risk among Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men—Six Cities, 1994-1998] and http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/289/8/975/ [HIV/STD Risks in Young Men Who Have Sex With Men Who Do Not Disclose Their Sexual Orientation, Six U.S. Cities, 1994-2000]
Reference: 1. Horn T. Young Men and HIV. Youth Prevention HIV. 2004; http://www.yphiv.org
Youth of Color Initiative Partner Program
Family Health Services of San Diego, California
Funded by the CDC, Family Health Centers of San Diego's (FHCSD) In the Mix program is an HIV prevention intervention in San Diego County that addresses the specific issues and needs of young men of color ages 14 to 24 who have sex with men. The primary goal of In the Mix is to reduce the risk of HIV transmission among these young men by increasing their risk reduction knowledge and skills, particularly in relation to the transmission of HIV and other STIs. In the Mix offers multiple prevention and leadership development services and activities, including:
- A social marketing campaign, with local models and stories about personal challenges and successes regarding HIV and STI;
- Trained volunteer peer educators who conduct ongoing outreach on the streets and in establishments frequented by young men of color who have sex with men;
- Clinical and community-based HIV counseling and testing services, utilizing standard rapid testing and OraSure methods;
- Health education and risk reduction for individuals and groups;
- Semi-annual leadership development retreats;
- A community advisory board; and
- Quarterly social events.
In the Mix utilizes the Community Promise program model, and its services and activities are client centered and peer driven. Staff and volunteer peer educators (also members of the target population) are primary reasons for the program's success. As such, staff and peer educators are aware of and able to personally relate to the wide range of issues faced by young men of color who have sex with men and are able to tailor the services for maximum effectiveness and to involve their peers from within the community of young men of color who have sex with men.
FHCSD collaborates with the Hillcrest Youth Drop-In Center, a program of the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, to provide direct services to the community. Ongoing evaluation is through the Institute for Public Health at San Diego State University. For more information contact, Wayne Rafus, Program Coordinator: (619) 515-2545 or wayner@fhcsd.org
Capacity Building & Professional Development
The Youth Angle 2005 Conference, Back to the Basics: Youth and the Invisible Epidemic, will be held August 25-26, 2005, in Dallas, Texas. Given the silence inherent in the epidemic and the climate of denial that society creates, young people have little incentive to learn their HIV status or to come out into the open about it. Those living in the shadow of the epidemic, those at the forefront of change must create a new language that makes more visible the new realities of life in the HIV crisis. The conference goal is to provide updated information, practical tools and an opportunity for participants to gain increased insight on HIV and AIDS prevention, interventions, and clinical care that address the needs of adolescents. There will be a FREE Youth Leadership Training for youth ages 13 to 24. This intensive training session, facilitated by AIDS Alliance, will be held in conjunction with the conference to prepare youth to assume leadership roles among their peers. Continuing education credits will be available for nurses, nurse practitioners, and social workers. Registration is $165 by June 24, 2005, and $195 thereafter. For more information, please contact June Trimble at 214-456-1641 or june.trimble@utsouthwestern.edu
The Price Fellowships for HIV Prevention program is designed to build relationships between government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), with the aim of achieving more effective delivery of HIV and AIDS prevention programs than NGOs can achieve alone. The Price Fellowships for HIV Prevention program provides three NGO leaders with the opportunity to visit CDC in Atlanta and, through interaction with CDC scientists and health care professionals, learn about HIV prevention at the national level. Applications are due April 22, 2005. For more information, please contact Maestro A. Evans at (404) 639-0960 or mhe8@cdc.gov or contact Phyllis Storch at (404) 639-5221or pus7@cdc.gov
The Supporting Networks of HIV Care is sponsoring four Regional Intensive Trainings to equip staff at nonprofit, community- and faith-based organizations with the specific tools and practical skills necessary to expand or improve HIV primary care and support services within communities of color. The Regional Intensive Trainings are designed for leaders and key staff of NGOs that have already assessed their readiness to provide HIV primary care services to people of color who are living with HIV or AIDS. The Supporting Networks of HIV Care will pay for travel, lodging, and incidentals. The final two trainings will be held May 20-21, 2005 in Portland, Oregon, and August 12-13, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois. For more information and/or to obtain an application, please call (202) 483-6622 or visit http://www.nmac.org
Funding Opportunities
The Black AIDS Institute, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black Entertainment Television (BET), and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) are sponsoring the second year of the Rap-It-Up/BASS Black AIDS Short Subject Film Competition. Part of the Rap-It-Up AIDS Awareness campaign, the Film Competition will highlight AIDS and HIV infection within black communities. The Rap-It-Up/BASS Film Competition intends to provide a voice and visual outlet for African Americans/blacks who are living with HIV or AIDS, caring for those with HIV or AIDS, and/or fighting the epidemic in black communities.
The Rap-It-Up/BASS Film Competition is looking for: 1) screenplays (fiction); or 2) treatments and story outlines (nonfiction). Screenplays or story outlines should be for short films [up to a maximum length of 25 minutes] that highlight the issue of HIV prevention, testing, and treatment and/or the effects of AIDS on individuals and families in the African American, Afro-Caribbean, and/or Afro-Latin communities in the United States. The competition is particularly interested in films that explore the following themes:
- Information: How does information, or its lack, affect HIV prevention and treatment in black communities?
- Testing: What are the barriers to HIV testing in black communities?
- Treatment: What treatments are available for HIV and what prevents blacks from seeking treatment for HIV?
- Community Involvement: How are African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latino communities responding to the AIDS crisis in the United States?
Total program funding is estimated at up to $25,000. The final submission deadline is May 27, 2005, and there is a $75 entry fee. Films will air on BET on or around December 1, 2005 (World AIDS Day). For more information, contact Tracy Taylor, Competition Coordinator at (877) 757-2437, or at 1833 West Eighth Street, Suite 200, Los Angeles, California 90057-4920.
The Levi Strauss Foundation is offering single and multi-year grants from $10,000 to $150,000 for HIV and AIDS prevention and to provide care for those whom the epidemic affects. Priorities include: 1) direct assistance to people with HIV and AIDS and their caregivers; 2) risk reduction education for those with high-risk behaviors; and 3) services to populations severely affected by HIV and AIDS, including injection drug users, minorities, gay and bisexual males, and disadvantaged populations. There is no deadline to apply. For an application or more information, contact Judy Belk, Vice President, Levi Strauss Foundation at (415) 501-6579 or by fax at (415) 501-6575.
Announcements
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. Observed each May by states and communities throughout the country, National Pregnancy Prevention Month seeks to involve communities in promoting and supporting effective teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. We look forward to highlighting your teen pregnancy prevention programs and success stories in the May 2005 Monthly Monitor. Please submit articles or program summaries to Nahnahsha Deas at nahnahsha@advocatesforyouth.org
Resources
Advocates for Youth
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/glbtq.htm
http://www.ambientejoven.org
http://www.youthresource.com
Black AIDS Institute
http://www.blackaids.org
The National Minority AIDS Council
http://www.nmac.org
The National Youth Advocacy Coalition
http://www.nyacyouth.org
You can help Advocates for Youth with a contribution today. To donate, visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/donatetoday.htm
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