World AIDS Day
Illustration by Nine Like The Number
Today is World AIDS Day. It is a day when the world unites in the fight against HIV. It is a day where we support those who are currently living with HIV and honor those we have lost to AIDS-related illness. Fire Island was a place of refuge for gay men who were privileged enough to access it during the height of the epidemic. It held the legendary Morning Parties organized by The Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), which raised money to support those with the disease.
Despite African-Americans making up 12% of the US population, yet accounting for 40% of the 1.2 million people living with HIV today, the story of AIDS in the US is most often told through the lens of white gay men. How would the way that we think about the past, present, and future of the epidemic change if we centered Blackness in the telling of these stories? What would access to testing, treatment, and education look like? What could we learn from that?
Last summer, the gay community was impacted by another epidemic, monkeypox, now being referred to as “MPOX” by the World Health Organization after racist and stigmatizing discourse was observed online and in global communities. Once again, people of color were disproportionately affected, yet we saw long lines of white men in places like Harlem and the Bronx to receive the limited amount of vaccinations that were available.
When BaBEC reached out to the Suffolk County Department of Health in an effort to get notified about vaccine availability at the same time as Pines and Cherry Grove homeowner/community organizations, our request was not honored. Our request was also not honored when we contacted the Governor’s Office as concerned constituents. Why shouldn’t a nonprofit that advocates for those most affected be in the loop regarding vaccinations? We have to do better. Intention, visibility, and accountability around these topics are what keep history from repeating itself. Let’s remember that as we honor those who have been affected by HIV today.
