By Ramy Eletreby

CDC Releases 33 State-Based National HIV Data

On Nov. 17, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a national report on new HIV diagnoses based on 33 states that conducted confidential name-based reporting from 2001-2004. For the first time, data from New York State was included among the 33 states in order to provide a more accurate representation of U.S. diagnoses as the Liberty State accounts for over 20 percent of new diagnoses from 2001-2004.

In the category based on race, the CDC reported an extreme disparity between the rate of HIV diagnoses among blacks and other races. Blacks account for roughly 51 percent of all new diagnoses between 2001-2004, as compared to 29 percent for whites and 18 percent for Hispanics. While the rate of diagnoses among blacks did drop by about 5 percent per year from 2001-2004, it was still 8.4 times higher than the rate among whites in 2004 (76.3 per 100,000 for blacks; 9.0 per 100,000 for whites).

In the category based on transmission among males, men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 61 percent of new HIV diagnoses, heterosexual men account for 17 percent, and injecting drug users (IDU) account for 16 percent. Among the heterosexual diagnoses, further data reports that 25 percent of those reported are black while only 6 percent are white. The CDC is using this data to encourage HIV prevention programs to educate minority males on the multiple routes of exposure that may occur. While the number of diagnoses among MSM remained stable from 2001-2003, it jumped 8 percent from 2003-2004 for reasons unclear. CDC cites the increase as possibly due to an increase in risk behaviors and syphilis but may also be simply due to an increase in HIV testing among MSM.

In the category of transmission among females, 76 percent of all new HIV diagnoses were heterosexual and 21 percent were IDU. Black heterosexual women are reported to be the most affected among this group.

According to the CDC report, the inclusion of the New York State data may have resulted in a reported decrease of HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals and IDU. From 2001-2004, the CDC reports a 9 percent decline in IDU and 4 percent decline in heterosexuals. In order to improve tracking in the future, the CDC hopes that such long-standing unavailable confidential name-based data from states such California and Illinois be included in order to give a better representation of the U.S.

In response to the CDC report, AIDS Project L.A. has called on the state of California for more hands-on action within both the gay and black communities, as they are still the ones being hit the hardest by this epidemic. Calif. SB 946, a bill to adopt names-based reporting, failed to reach the Assembly at the end of its session in September, and is currently stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Once passed, it will take Calif. at least two years to report credible data to CDC. "The need for California to adopt names-based reporting is clear," said Exec. Dir. of AIDS Project L.A. Craig E. Thompson. "Proportionate funding for HIV/AIDS services in L.A. and the roadmap for how and where to deliver them will result from this transition. Fears about confidentiality have not been borne out, and the time has come to make the change."

Last September, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1142, which addresses the impact of HIV/AIDS on blacks in Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Sacramento, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area. AB 1142 requires the formation of a not-for-profit organization by Jan. 1, 2008, to create and manage a statewide prevention and services infrastructure and to coordinate research, data and funding for HIV/AIDS-related efforts focused on blacks in California. "We hope CDC will make good on its pledge to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in black communities, especially communities of black gay men, by increasing prevention funding and trusting local knowledge about how best to spend it," Thompson added. "With AB 1142, California now has the chance to lead the way and make real progress."

Black AIDS Institute Honors Heroes in the Struggle

"Our people. Our problem. Our solution." So reads the motto of the Black AIDS Institute which on Nov. 17, held their 5th Annual Gala Reception honoring their 2005 "Heroes in the Struggle," a group of six individuals and one corporation who embody the bravery, power, and commitment it takes to actively spread the word and encourage the masses to stand up and fight this global pandemic. The 2005 Heroes and their Black AIDS Institute-adorned titles are: The Activist: A. Cornelius Baker, AIDS activist; The Advocate: Patricia Broadbent, AIDS advocate; The Artist: Mo'Nique, actress; The Caregiver: Dr. Gail E. Wyatt, professor of neuropsychiatry; The Faithful: Bishop Charles E. Blake, West Angeles Church of God and Christ; The Policy Maker: The Honorable Vincent J. Hughes, Pennsylvania State Senator; and Corporate Hero: Essence Magazine.

Event co-hosts Danny Glover and Sheryl Lee Ralph took the opportunity, in association with the Black AIDS Institute, to officially launch "100 Black Stars against AIDS," a national Black celebrity spokesperson campaign that will focus attention on HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and introduce new energy to stop the spread of AIDS in black America. According to a U.S. CDC report released earlier that day, based on 33 states data, 51 percent of all new HIV diagnoses from 2001-2004 affected the black community. "In 2005, AIDS in America is a Black disease. We all know about AIDS in Africa. Many of us have contributed our talents to mitigate the epidemic there. But somehow, the AIDS epidemic in our own community has fallen off the radar for many of us," says Glover in a press statement. "For black folks in America, the epidemic has become an unprecedented health disaster. The AIDS epidemic in Black America will never be over unless and until black people, especially those of us who have the power to get the attention of the media and policy makers, make the commitment to make it so."

2006 Gay Games Corporate Sponsors Get Heat from Conservative Groups

The Walgreen's Co., based in Deerfield, Ill., has become one of the biggest sponsors of the Gay Games, which is set to take place in Chicago in the summer of 2006. Last month, Walgreen's pledged $100,000 in support of the Gay Games, alongside other large sponsors such as PlanetOut and Q Television. In response, the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), a conservative Christian group based in suburban Chicago, has threatened to boycott the Walgreen's chain of drugstores until the support is retracted. Walgreen's claims that their support stems from the long-standing relationship the drugstore pharmacies have had with HIV patients, whom they've been serving since the 1980's. "This approach is deeply flawed because homosexual acts between men are a leading factor in the spread of AIDS. By using Walgreen's good name to lend legitimacy to the 'Gay Games,' you are helping to mainstream sexual behavior that is causing gay men to die in the prime of their life," wrote IFI head Peter LaBarbera to the Walgreen's Co. chairman.

In May, Kraft Foods had a similar situation when the Chicago-based organization pledged $25,000 to the Gay Games and received strong opposition from the anti-gay Mississippi-based American Family Association.

Anger Within Presbyterian and Methodist Churches

On Nov. 13, the South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. ordained Raymond Bagnuolo, after the Protestant denomination banned sexually active homosexuals from joining the clergy. Several protestant denominations are in the middle of a debate on what roles gays should play within the church. In 1997, a measure was approved by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) saying that ministers must practice fidelity if married and chastity if single, obviously putting homosexual clergymen in a compromising position.

On Nov. 20, the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church in Minneapolis, Minn. held a service of protest in opposition to several incidents/rulings made by the denomination's highest court, the Judicial Council. Last month, the council defrocked lesbian minister Irene Elizabeth Stroud of Philadelphia. Also, the council disapproved of two West Coast liberal regional bodies that came out with pro-gay resolutions during the last year. Finally, the council reinstated Minister Edward Johnson of South Hill United Methodist in Virginia after he refused to allow a gay parishioner to become a member of the church.

Arkansas Gay Foster Parent Ruling Under Appeal

On Nov. 17, the State of Arkansas filed briefs in a state appellate court regarding a law enacted by the Child Welfare Agency Review Board in 1999 banning adult foster parents from having homosexuals living in their households. Last December, the law was struck down by lower court Judge Timothy J. Fox stating that the Child Welfare Agency Review Board did not have the authority to lay down moral regulations, but could only dictate matters that affected the "health, safety and/or welfare" of the children in the foster system. Now that the law is under review again in the state appellate court, the ability of gay men and women to be foster parents is still under question. Even though Arkansas currently allows gay men and women to adopt, and while there are no restrictions on foster parenting at the present time that could change if the state appellate court reverses the lower court.