Study of HIV Sexual Risk among Disenfranchised African American MSM Community

HIV transmission is disproportionately on the rise among economically poor, African American men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States . Although this trend has been observed for over a decade, prevention efforts have apparently been unable to adequately address the needs of this population. Existing support systems for MSM have often failed to consider cultural and family differences, perceptions of sexual orientation, economic disparity, and differential access to education and information among African American MSM . Disenfranchised African American MSM are often isolated both by homophobia in the African American community and racism in the predominantly white gay community . In addition to this, many African American MSM self-identify as either bisexual or heterosexual, thus possibly eluding HIV prevention efforts which target gay men. The crisis of HIV in the African American community and in communities of color cannot be separated from the crises of poverty, racism, and drugs . The presence of crack and other drugs plays a continuing role in the social disintegration of many of these communities. However, relatively little is known about the role of substance use in HIV sexual risk behaviors.