Alarming HIV infection rate among black gay and bisexual men

By Frederick Sparks

The HIV infection rate among black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S. now rivals what is seen in the worst impacted parts of the world, including Southern Africa, according to recent studies.  The numbers were more alarming than expected for health care providers, researchers and policy professionals already focused on this issue.

A study by the HIV Prevention Trial Network (HPTN) found that black MSM in the U.S. who are under 30 have a 5.9% infection rate, which is 3 times the rate among their white peers and is comparable to rates in the general population in sub-saharan Africa’s hardest hit regions.

The findings of the Black AIDS Institute’s recently released report  on AIDS among black gay men in the U.S. paint a bleak picture as well.  An estimated 25% of black MSM in the U.S. at age 25 are HIV positive,  at age 40, the number goes up to 60%.   Sixty.

Yet studies do not point to a higher degree of risky sexual behavior as the explanation for the higher rates among black MSM as compared to their white counterparts; in fact some studies show black MSM are less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than their white and Latino counterparts. The discrepancy results in part from diminished access to and utilization of health care services, including testing allowing for early diagnosis and for antiretroviral treatment that lower viral loads and reduce the chance of passing the virus. Lower rates of testing also result in higher rates of other untreated STDs which increase the chance of transmission.

The study also found that black MSM in the Bible Belt south have seen the greatest increase in infection rate, and are also least likely to have access to HIV related resources, due in part to political leadership which hardly prioritizes such concerns; many of the governors of these states have vowed not to implement portions of “Obamacare” that have the potential to level the playing field in terms of access to health resources.

But black mainstream and white LGBT mainstream organizations and political leadership have also largely ignored the epidemic among black MSM. The report identifies the black church as “both a challenge and an opportunity” to build leadership on this issue, noting that the church plays a role in the marginalization of MSM and in reinforcing internalized homophobia.

The report also calls for initiatives to increase the level of testing among black MSM, increasing access to and use of  for treatment of HIV as well as prophylaxis that can prevent infection if taken soon after an exposure to the virus, and for an end to the disparity in treatment and prevention programs aimed at black MSM.

Alarming HIV infection rate among black gay and bisexual men
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Aurora, Colorado: Tragedy, Wingnuttery, and a possible racial angle?

By Frederick Sparks

The senseless tragedy in which 12 moviegoers were murdered and scores other injured at a screening of the new Batman film may have been enough to “halt” the presidential campaigns, but the predictable conversations about gun rights, gun control, and of course “God” march on.  Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert blames the shooting on the fact that:

 

We have been at war with the very pillars, the very foundation of this country … and when … you know … what really gets me as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs and then a senseless, crazy act of terror like this takes place.

You know, when people say, where was God in all of this? Well, you know, we don’t let … in fact we’ve threatened high school graduation participants that if they use God’s name that they’re going to be jailed….etc etc

 

This asshole apparently worships an asshole God who allows babies to get shot because He is so butthurt that  His name isn’t said at high school graduations.   Gohmert also repeats the standard canard that “if only the theatre patrons had guns”…because of course everyone with a gun is a good enough shot to take out an armed assailant in a dark theatre while chaos is breaking out, without hitting an innocent bystander.

 

On another note,  Aurora has become a suburban destination for black Denver area residents and has one of the highest concentrations of African-Americans in the state of Colorado.  An Aurora resident who met the alleged shooter James Holmes  in a bar two weeks ago claims Holmes made “slightly racist statements” about rap music fans.   Reports are that Holmes is not cooperating, however, so no motive has been determined.  

My thoughts are with the victims and their families.

 

Aurora, Colorado: Tragedy, Wingnuttery, and a possible racial angle?

Zack Kopplin versus Bobby Jindal and creationism in Louisiana

by Frederick Sparks

18 year old Zach Kopplin is still fighting the good fight against state supported religious indoctrination in Louisiana public schools. Check out his blog post which calls for a halt to the state’s voucher program which “provides millions of taxpayer dollars to private schools that teach creationism and whose curriculum doesn’t meet the state’s approved science standards.”  Zach also notes that Jindal is Romney’s “education surrogate” and possible pick for Secretary of Education should Romney win in November.  Oy….

Zack Kopplin versus Bobby Jindal and creationism in Louisiana

Well Meaning but Tortuous Gay Biblical Apologetics

By Frederick Sparks

 

Matthew Vines is a gay Harvard student reared in a “loving Christian home” and church community in Kansas. After finally reconciling himself to his sexual orientation, Vines took a two-year leave of absence to research what the Bible has to say about homosexuality. In March of this year, Vines gave a speech at a Kansas United Methodist Church, giving an overview of the verses that have been traditionally viewed as condemning of homosexuality. Gay columnist Dan Savage has referred to the video of the speech as “brilliant”.

 
Vines is clearly a bright, thoughtful young man who values his faith and who cares deeply about the experiences of LGBT Christians in their church communities. The most compelling portion of the video comes at the end when Vines speaks directly to straight Christians about their interactions with their gay brothers and sisters. However, I did not find Vines arguments particularly unique or consistently persuasive. At one time I was a gay Christian trying to reconcile my sexual orientation with a belief that the Bible was a “good” book that expresses God’s love, and most of the alternative explanations here I’d heard (and said) before. And like the arguments often heard from African-American Christians about how the slavery seemingly endorsed in the bible wasn’t REALLY slavery, what I see here is a person making indefensible apologetics for oppressive dictates in order to hold on to a belief system that provides emotional sustenance in other ways.

 
Vines best arguments concern the prohibition against homosexuality associated with the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He convincingly demonstrates that taking this story as a general condemnation against homosexuality is unsubstantiated…both by looking at the context of the story itself and from other scriptural references that refer to Sodom’s chief sin as one of “discourtesy” to visitors (who also happen to be emissaries of the almighty). He as well makes easy work of the clumsy and presumptive translations of arsenokoites (abusers of themselves with mankind) and malokos (effeminate) which appear in 1 Corinthians. Vines rightfully dismisses later translations using “homosexual” as completely unsubstantiated, particularly given the ambiguity around the meaning of the greek words.

 

But he loses me in his disposition of the Leviticus injunction against “lying with mankind as with womankind’. Vines makes the standard Christian argument when dismissing the most odious of the Old Testaments moral precepts: this does not apply to the new covenant and is therefore inapplicable to Christians. This argument not only ignores the inconsistent statements regarding the continued applicability of OT laws, but also has the unintended consequence of maintaining the death penalty for gay Jews. And, Vines of course never addresses the morality of a god who would make gay sex a death penalty offense under ANY ‘covenants’ or circumstances.

 
The handling of the odd-even-by-biblical standards section of Romans also falls flat. Vines points out that the verses are rendered in a way to describe idolatrous believers being given over to desires, including same-sex behavior. He then inconsistently argues that this verse describes behavior that was against a “naturally heterosexual’ person’s normal orientation while at the same time asserting (correctly) that the ancients had no concept of sexual orientation. He also puts forth a rather binary viewpoint of sexuality as either heterosexual or homosexual. Does he agree that a primarily heterosexual person who has homosexual activity deserves to be condemned or criticized for that as a matter of course? Again the defensibility of condemning the sexual behavior even under those circumstances isn’t questioned.

 
More generally, throughout the talk Vines makes the common and cloying distinction between “loving, committed same sex relationships” and the type of licentious sexual relationships which he believes the relevant verses condemn. This implies that the writers would have made a similar distinction, which is an unsubstantiated assumption.

 
And as a secularist, my overall critique is against the impulse to reconcile homosexuality to a barbaric book of mythology. Of course my viewpoint is “who gives a damn what the bible says one way or another?” I also think the approach of changing minds about the morality of homosexuality by offering alternative biblical explanations gets the process backwards. As much as some claim that their morality comes from the bible, what seems to be the case to me is that changes in moral viewpoints of believers result more from cultural, political, and temporal factors and the degree to which relationships and identities are modeled in works of popular culture. The position is then “retrofitted” in a new look or take on scripture, so that the illusion that moral judgments come from the bible can be maintained.

 

But as a secularist interested in social justice issues, including the experiences of LGBT Christians, I have sympathy towards those working no matter how incrementally to push for progressive change within religious communities. At the same time I still see pointing out the fallacy of using this ancient text as a moral guideline as the more sensible and defensible approach.

Well Meaning but Tortuous Gay Biblical Apologetics

Annual Pastors Conference: All White Christians Invited

By Frederick Sparks

But oh no, it isn’t racist. The groups sponsoring the event, the Christian Identity Ministries, (whose website states: “Our true countenance is not one of hate, but one of love. Yes, we believe that the Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God. We believe this, not because we think that the white race is superior, but because there is overwhelming proof in support of this belief. “) and the Church of God’s Chosen, merely didn’t have sufficient facilities to accommodate non-whites.  The organizers also pointed out that they’ve never been invited to NAACP meetings and mosques and synagogues and stuff….so there!   What’s the problem?

The closing day of the event will include a “Sacred Christian Cross Lighting Ceremony”, to symbolize an “opposition to tyranny.”  While there will be KKK members in attendance, this lighting ceremony is absolutely not  a “cross burning” long associated with Klan activity.

Annual Pastors Conference: All White Christians Invited

Shift in Black American opinion on gay marriage?

By Frederick Sparks

After President Obama expressed personal support for marriage equality, pundits wasted no time pondering the effects on the upcoming presidential election, including whether or not the president’s “evolved” position would alienate African-Americans, the President’s most loyal voting bloc.

And indeed there has been negative reaction from the black clergy.   Maryland based anti-gay preacher Harry Jackson stated “Obama laid down the gauntlet on black leaders..the question we are being forced to address is ‘are you going to be black or be godly.’” (Being godly of course means being homophobic)   And a group of African-American pastors, the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP),  led by Memphis based “Reverend Doctor” William Owens soundly condemned the president’s statement, with Owens asserting that there was no doubt that the president would lose black votes:   “Absolutely it will and especially among the black churches where the conviction against same-sex marriage is so strong…”I think many black Christians feel somewhat betrayed by the president on this – this is something that black churches have always stood firmly against.”

Yet there are suggestions that the views of these “leaders” may be increasingly disconnected from the masses.   Polling conduct by Public Policy Polling on a Maryland referendum that would keep the states marriage equality law in place showed a dramatic swing in opinion among black voters; in March 56% were opposed to the new law, now  (following Obama’s statement) 55% are in favor of marriage equality.  This also tracks an ABC News/Washington Post Poll showing 59% of African-Americans nationwide in support of marriage equality.  While other polls of African-Americans on the gay marriage issue have yielded mixed results,  presidential election polling so far has shown no real shift in African-American support away from President Obama.

Following the President’s statements, Black entertainers and athletes have also expressed support for gay marriage or made gay positive statements, including music mogul Jay-Z and Heisman winner and No. 2 NFL draft pick Robert Griffin III.  For better or worse, entertainers and athletes hold sway in influencing public opinion.  

Perusing the website of this Coalition of African-American Pastors, one sees that the group’s mission is the breaking down of church/state separation, and opposing marriage equality and reproductive rights.  No mention of the myriad of important issues that contribute to continued African-American economic and social disadvantage.  This is a prime example of the increasingly irrelevant and out of touch yet stubbornly entrenched phenomenon of blowhard black religious leadership that finds itself increasingly opposed to progressive social change and largely impotent or uninterested when it comes to real issues of social justice.

Shift in Black American opinion on gay marriage?

Trekkie-in-Chief:Obama and Uhura

By Frederick Sparks

Actress Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura, recently shared  a picture of her White House visit in February.  She also tweeted this interesting tidbit:  “Months ago Pres Obama was quoted as saying that he’d had a crush on me when he was younger. I asked about that & he proudly confirmed it!”

Nichols spoke previously about meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. during the show’s initial run from 1966-1969.  The civil rights leader told her he was a fan and the two discussed the importance of the image she presented on the show.  Nichols credits this conversation for changing her mind about leaving the show after the first season.

Nichelle, my crush is still intact.

 

Trekkie-in-Chief:Obama and Uhura

Wisconsin Rep Gwen Moore: Violence against women is as American as apple pie

By Frederick Sparks

Speaking on the floor of the U.S. House in favor of reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act,  Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore recounted painful memories of sexual assault both as a child and as an adult.  “Domestic violence has been a thread throughout my personal life, up to and including being a child repeatedly sexually assaulted, up to and including, being an adult who’s been raped,” Moore said. Opposition to the bill this year has “really brought up some terrible memories for me.”  Watch here

Renewal has been stalled due to some Republican objections to what they consinder odious expansions of the bill’s scope, such as outreach to American Indians, assistance for undocumented immigrants dealing with domestic violence, and inclusion of those involved in same-sex domestic violence under the bill’s purview.

Wisconsin Rep Gwen Moore: Violence against women is as American as apple pie

NOM memo reveals strategy to “drive a wedge between blacks and gays”

By Frederick Sparks

Revealed as part of a court ordered release of documents related to a lawsuit over finance disclosure violations, a 2009 National Organization for Marriage memo spells out a strategy of racial targeting in its opposition to marriage equality.  In a section titled “Not A Civil Right Project” the memo states “The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies. Find, equip, energize and connect African-American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots. ”  The memo also speaks to accomplishing a “sophisticated cultural objective: interrupt the attempt to equate gay with black, and sexual orientation with race.”  This is all part of an overall objective to “raise the cost of identifying with gay marriage, and also raise the attractiveness of identifying with traditional marriage.”

In  a section devoted to targeting Latino opposition to same-sex marriage, the memo queries “will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values?”  Rich irony..the same political forces who xenophobically decry the perceived resistance of Latinos to dominant culture assimilation now worry about the effects of said assimilation.

Sikivu Hutchinson wrote previously of the alliance between Black and Latino fundamentalist anti-abortion groups and the white Religious Right .     Black and Latino conservatism on social issues, largely related to high degrees of Christian religiosity, is ripe ground for political forces who otherwise couldn’t be concerned with the most pressing issues facing those communities.

NOM memo reveals strategy to “drive a wedge between blacks and gays”