Beyond Blame and into Action

by Jeffrey King

Today, the words “HIV and AIDS” are finally beginning to resonate in the black community. But silence exacted a high toll. Though we represent only 13 percent of the U.S. population, African-Americans now account for almost half the number of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Denial and stigma continue to impede our progress, and unless we get beyond blaming whomever we think created our problems and get into action, crystal meth will hit the black LGBT community hard, compounding the HIV/AIDS crisis and depriving us of a new generation of proud black gay men.

How many people have to die before we face the hard truth that by remaining silent we are complicit in killing our own, our selves, our community?

I know this isn’t easy to hear, and it is just as hard to say. What appears to be easy is doing a bump of crystal, barebacking, getting HIV and maybe infecting someone else with HIV and another STD. It becomes hard when you suddenly realize crystal isn’t to be compared with any other drug. It’s incredibly addictive, and getting high and getting laid become more important than anything else. And then the HIV or other STDs kick in. Try hiding that.

For many of us, HIV and crystal meth get lost in the long list of issues we have to deal with all the time, every day. And we know the larger black community doesn’t really want to think about the connection between crystal, HIV and risky sexual behavior among black gay men.

But not thinking about it is why—after 26 years of the AIDS pandemic—AIDS is a black disease in America.

And today, more and more, HIV is being fueled by meth use among the young.

In The Meantime conducted a community survey for three months last year. We asked three questions of 78 African-American gay men, 72 percent of whom were between the ages of 18-27, and 28 percent were 28 and older:

1) Do you know any young black men between the ages of 18-27 who use/abuse crystal meth? 53 percent said yes; 47 percent said no.

2) Have you tried crystal meth in the last 12 months? 27 percent said yes; 73 percent said no.

3) Do you feel that crystal meth is a major concern in the black community? 73 percent said yes; 23 percent said no.

What this survey told us is that we are facing a very serious escalating problem. Clearly we need more research and HIV/meth prevention programs targeted to the black gay community.

But we are not waiting for denial to crumble like the walls of Jericho. In The Meantime spearheaded the first Crystal Meth Taskforce in South Los Angeles, providing a united strategic prevention effort created from within the black community, including a website and ongoing meetings.

We refuse to remain silent as more of our brothers and sisters get hooked, get HIV and give up. Please stand with us. Visit www.solameth.org or call (323) 733-4868.

Jeffrey King is Executive Director of In The Meantime Men’s Group. For more information, visit www.inthemeantimemen.org