Homophobia and HIV Among Gay and Bisexual men in the U.S., Sean Cahill, Gay Men's Health Crisis (2009)

This slide presentation demonstrates the need for HIV prevention efforts to fight homophobia and stigma as a contributing factor to rising HIV rates among gay and bisexual American men. It details the rising rates of HIV and syphilis among men who have sex with men, particularly young men of color, and places these rates in the broader context of worsening STI statistics for young men and women nationally. The presentation argues that disproportionate HIV infection rates in these groups cannot be explained by individual behavior alone, but rather by group-level and environmental factors for which race and sexual orientation are markers.

The presentation argues that, in order to respond to this health crisis, prevention efforts must address the needs of the most vulnerable population through community-level interventions to respond to homophobia and stigma; structural interventions to address the causes of HIV/AIDS in legal, economic, policy, cultural, and other aspects of the environment; and efforts to fight anti-gay bias and promote LGBT-affirming initiatives and comprehensive sexuality education.