Our friend Doxy is attending the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. She has an excellent post at her blog about what she has learned there so far.
Black U.S. AIDS rates rival some African nations....
Do you know why this is? It has to do with high poverty rates (which tend to limit access to medical care) and the inferior education that tends to go along with poverty. It has to do with ignorance and prejudice.
Mostly it has to do with stigma and discrimination.
People die from stigma. People won't even get tested for HIV because they are afraid that merely taking the test indicates something negative about the person taking it.
Seriously.
I once heard a prominent African American local government official in my hometown say he gave blood twice a year to get tested--that way no one would think he'd been doing anything "nasty" (i.e., having sex with men or shooting up).
The whole post is well worth reading. It's shameful to learn of what we could be doing in this country, but are not doing, to prevent the spread of HIV.
oh dear. this is disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteMimi--thank you so much. The heartbreaking thing is that there are so many brilliant people here---people of passion and good will. People who work desperately, day and night, to put a stop to this pandemic.
ReplyDeleteWith some of the best minds in the world working on this, it shouldn't be so awful.
But it is. And it's because the institutional structures can still outweigh all that passion and brilliance.
We've GOT to change that.
Pax,
Doxy
It's the willingness to confuse hope with pretend...like attributing good character to leaders who don't deserve it.
ReplyDeleteDoxy, de nada, love. This word must get out, and we must demand change. I am so ashamed.
ReplyDelete