A growing body of evidence suggests that HIV positive people may experience faster than normal aging, characterized by premature progressive organ disease and frailty. This silence contributes to the rise of HIV/AIDS infections.Īnother fear often discussed in the group is the acceleration of the aging process because of the virus. Experiences like these discourage folks from opening up about their sexuality and sexual experiences. But they stay quiet out of fear of rejection. So when they enter an institution that is supposed to accept them and it doesn’t, it stings. We have to remember that many older gay black men have been historically rejected by society for being black by family, friends or outsiders for being attracted to other men and by potential lovers for being positive. They fear rejection, because they have faced it so often.
Instead of finding an affirming church, many of the men I work with tolerate the homophobic preachings because they don’t want to be rejected. Church is an important part of African American history and many of us have been raised around it. There have been a number of LGBTQ+-affirming churches popping up that welcome our community, but some historically black churches still hold homophobic attitudes. But what is stopping older gay black men from having open dialogue? Some say it’s the church. It’s 30 years later, and many of the older men I work with still feel uncomfortable or scared to talk about the disease, yet the estimated rate (per 100,000 people) of new HIV infections in adults ages 50 and older in the United States is much higher among men.īecause of this, it’s important we talk about this disease. One of the biggest topics that always comes up in group is social stigma. These are some of the lessons and themes I’ve learned. Since running the group, I’ve seen the battles my brothers face as they navigate this disease and society’s view of people with HIV/AIDS. We decided on the name New Beginnings, because being diagnosed with this disease is not a death sentence, but rather an opportunity to recommit to your health and well-being. How do I know? Well, I run a support group called New Beginnings for older gay black men who have HIV/AIDS. Yet, for older black gay men who are living with HIV/AIDs, it’s still a difficult journey. Today as a black gay man, I enjoy more freedoms and rights (as a New Yorker, I have the right to marry my long-term partner Stanton).
And I grew up during a time when I lost many loved ones due to HIV/AIDS, a disease that was viewed by the world as a critical epidemic. I also grew up during the Stonewall Riots, feeling the hostility society harbored toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) people. I grew up during the civil rights movement, seeing powerful black activists around me fight for our civil rights as a people.
February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, so our first post in the series is on HIV/AIDS in the black community by Ty Martin, Community Liaison at SAGE Center Harlem.
In honor of Black History Month, the SAGE Blog will feature a post on LGBTQ+ aging in the black community every Thursday during the month of February.