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ADVOCATES GATHER AT CITY HALL TO DEMAND HIV PREVENTION FUNDING FOR COMMUNITIES AT RISK
New York, NY/June 18, 2008 — The Emergency Response Coalition (E.R. Coalition) and the Women's HIV Prevention and Services Partnership (WHPS) joined together on the steps of City Hall today to demand the New York City Council prioritize HIV/AIDS prevention in at-risk communities as they look to finalize the City's budget.
Despite an overall decrease in new HIV infections in New York City, both young men who have sex with men (MSM) and young women have seen increases in their rates of infection, especially in the city's people of color communities. Young MSM in the city experienced a 33% increase in HIV incidence from 2001 to 2006. Black and Latino MSM make up 77% of new HIV infections in young MSM in New York City. New HIV infections among females ages 13-29 increased 6% from 2005 to 2006 in NYC. One in four teenage girls nationally is infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD); one in two African American young women has an STD. The City needs to do more to prioritize sexual health and HIV prevention among young people.
"Early in the epidemic, men and women, Black, white and Latino, gay and straight rallied together in the fight against AIDS," said Marjorie J. Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis. "Today we join again, seeking City Council support of an enhancement of the Communities of Color initiative. This enhancement would support the E.R. Coalition and the Women's HIV Prevention and Services Partnership that are proposing innovative programs to address the health disparities among these two vulnerable populations. With staggering infection rates among people of color and a $1.3 million cut of City-funded HIV/AIDS prevention and services, support for this enhancement is absolutely critical."
"It is imperative that our leaders understand that gay men of color are in a state of emergency," said Gary English, Executive Director of New York State Black Gay Men's Network. "The City Council needs to address HIV in communities of color as the emergency that it is. We are looking to the City Council to show leadership with respect to gay men. We are taxpayers and human beings, and we are not dispensable."
The Emergency Response Coalition is made up of AIDS Service Center NYC, Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA), Bronx AIDS Services, Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), Harlem United, Hispanic AIDS Forum, Health and Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT), Latino Commission on AIDS, NorthEast Two-Spirit Society, New York State Black Gay Network, and People of Color in Crisis (POCC).
The Women's HIV Prevention and Services Partnership consists of the AIDS Center of Queens County (ACQC), Amethyst Women's Project, Iris House, Life Force: Women Fighting AIDS, and the Women's Institute at GMHC.
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About Gay Men's Health Crisis
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, and outreach and education to hundreds of thousands throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.gmhc.org .
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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