10:01am | A recent study suggests that one in five gay and bisexual men are living with HIV. Nearly half of the men in the studywere unaware they had the disease. These alarming findings serve as a reminder that when it comes to the struggle against HIV, the LGBT community still has a long way to go.
Decades of preventative campaigns, grassroots activism and government action have chipped away at the stigma associated with HIV, and breakthroughs in medicine have helped HIV-positive individuals lead healthy lives. These developments have lulled the generation of gay and bisexual men that grew up after the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s into a false sense of security.
Young gay and bisexual men, especially those who are also racial or ethnic minorities, are not only more vulnerable to the disease, but are actually the least likely to know they are infected.
About 56,300 people become infected with HIV each year, of which half are gay and bisexual men. Women account for 27 perdent of all new HIV infections, with women of color making up a majority of those cases.
There is one thing that each person can do to help stop new infections, and that is to get tested.
The U.S. Health Department and the National Association of People with AIDS are jointly sponsoring National HIV Testing Day today. Monday, June 27.
To learn more about National HIV Testing Day, or to locate a testing site here in Long Beach, visit HIVTest.org. The Gay and Lesbian Center of Long Beach offers counseling and HIV screening services, information about which can be found at CenterLB.org.