Spotlighting The Impact of HIV In Latin@ LGBTQ Communities
To commemorate World AIDS Day, the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition will host “VIVIR CONSCIENTE : Voces Latin@s sobre el VIH/SIDA,”a community dinner and forum focused on the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Latin@ LGBTQ community. The event will be held on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 from 6-8pm at Whittier Health Center located at 1125 Tremont Street in Roxbury.
The bilingual event will feature performances from local draq superstar Crystal Foxx as well as featured speakers discussing how everyone can work together to provide better support and resources to those at-risk for and impacted by HIV/AIDS in the Latin@ community. Featured speakers include Alfredo Hernandez (project director at Health and Human Development Division at Education Development Center), Mike Yepes (local activist), Judith Ortiz (peer advocate at Casa Iris), and Elvin Fontna-Martinez (Gay & Bisexual Men’s Health Educator at The MALE Center). Dinner at the event will be provided by Sol Azteca.
HIV/AIDS remains a serious public health concern in Latin@ communities. According to the Center Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1 in 36 Hispanic/Latino men and 1 in 106 Hispanic/Latino women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. Among Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men, 67% of estimated new HIV infections occurred in those under age 35. In Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health (DPH) estimates the rate of Hispanic/Latina females living with an HIV infection diagnosis is 10 times that of white females, and the rate of Hispanic/Latino males living with an HIV infection diagnosis is 4.2 times that of white males.
HBGC hopes its community forum will bring further attention to these disparities while offering personal perspectives on how the epidemic is affecting Boston’s Latin@ communities and the larger LGBTQ community. The forum will also focus on the evolution of culturally grounded services offered to the Latin@ LGBTQ community and what can be done to ensure the public health needs of everyone in the Latin@ community are met. HBGC plans to use the discussion to explore how the organization can partner with local health agencies to implement new programs and services to respond to the needs of those at-risk for, or infected with, HIV/AIDS in Latin@ communities, and other communities of color.
The event is free and open to the general public. For more information, please contact Ricky Granderson at rgranderson@hbgc-boston.org.
