HIV / AIDS

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Earl Fowlkes’ Story

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Earl Fowlkes has been a long-time advocate on a number of issues at both local and national levels. As the CEO of the Center for Black Equity, he works with over 30 Black Pride events serving 350,000 members of the African American LGBT community around the country annually on a range of issues focusing on Health Equity, Economic Equity, and Social Equity. As a well-respected member of the community, he holds leadership positions and has been on the boards of a number of organizations, and has received numerous awards for his service. As a friend and colleague, he is a valued partner and collaborator on a number of projects we have worked on together over the years to build solidarity.... Read More

             

HIV: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

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Fast approaching proverbial rear view mirror status is World AIDS Day, celebrated on December 1 for “achieving the global target of halting and reversing the spread of HIV.” Pretty heady accomplishments toward a “disease with the little name” that among other things wiped out generations of people beginning in the 80s. Back then, homosexuals, Haitians, hemophiliacs and heroin drug users were referred to by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as its top four high-risk group for AIDS/HIV. Many folks and organizations, including government workers, researchers, medical professionals and the Baltimore Afro American newspaper, dubbed this group as the “4-H Disease Alert.”

At that time, not much was known about how you got it or how you could get rid.... Read More

             

By 2020, 70% of Those Living With HIV Will be 50 or Older

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This post originally appeared on the SAGE blog and continues our weeklong commemoration of World AIDS Day.

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Did you know that 50% of those living with HIV are age 50 or older? By 2020, that number will grow to70%. The latest national data show that adults 50 and older account for 17% of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses and 29% of all persons living with AIDS. Research also finds that over 50% of adults age 65-74 and 26% of age 75-85 are sexually active with more than one partner. But ageist misconceptions, combined with poor sexual health education, contribute to the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS.... Read More

             

World AIDS Day 2015

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On December 1st, individuals and organizations around the world commemorate World AIDS Day, an acknowledgement of how far we’ve come in fighting this disease and how much work is still to be done to erase stigma, find a cure, and support survivors. The Diverse Elders Coalition has worked since our inauguration in 2010 to lift up the stories of diverse elders with HIV and to raise awareness about the ways in which our communities are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.

cupcakesThis year was an important one for the prevention of HIV: in July, the White House released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 (PDF) that calls for a more coordinated.... Read More

             

Supporting our Latin@ Elders with HIV

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Today is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD), and we’re standing with our member organization NHCOA to support our Latin@ elders with HIV and find a cure for this disease.

nlaad-logo-150x150Why do we have a specific day that acknowledges HIV and AIDS in the Latino community? Myths, stigma, and lack of targeted education makes Latinos less aware of how to protect themselves from the virus. Hispanics are disproportionately affected by HIV: Latinos represent 16% of the U.S. population and 21% of all new HIV infections.

Further, 1 in 6 people living with HIV in the U.S. do not know they.... Read More

             

On National HIV/Aging Awareness Day: Alarming Statistics

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Did you know that SAGE created the first HIV/AIDS support group for older adults? In honor of National Gay Men’s HIV Awareness Day, we’re reposting this blog from SAGE about the ways they’re working to improve the quality of life for our LGBT elders with HIV. More information is also available on the Diverse Elders Coalition’s HIV and Aging webpage.

6a017c34619ea6970b01bb0873f5a9970d-320wiFrom establishing America’s first HIV/AIDS support group for older adults, to igniting changes in national policy, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) leads the fight against this epidemic in the aging community.  On this National HIV/Aging Awareness Day, 50% of Americans living with HIV will be.... Read More

             

What Does HIV Look Like in Our Diverse Elder Communities?

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I had the pleasure of attending a Grantmakers In Aging webinar yesterday that focused on the impact of HIV on our elders. Speakers on the webinar included Ben de Guzman, our National Managing Coordinator, as well as Mark Brennan-Ing of ACRIA and Aaron Tax of SAGE. As someone who is relatively new to both HIV and aging advocacy, the experience was extremely valuable to me – especially because by 2020, over 70% of the people with HIV in this country will be 50 or older.

During the presentation, Mark Brennan-Ing shared some health information about older adults with HIV. Adults over 50 years old account for 11% of new HIV infections in the United States. Additionally, elders.... Read More

             

The “Graying” of HIV/AIDS

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Today is National HIV and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD), celebrated each year on September 18th to mark the unique challenges of being an elder with HIV. The following is a speech given by Herbie Taylor at our May 7th WHCOA Town Hall in Los Angeles, CA. For more information on NHAAAD, visit our HIV and Aging webpage, or join us for a free webinar on Monday, September 21st from 2-3pm EDT with Grantmakers in Aging.

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HERBIEreunion080910_003 (1)By Guest Contributor, Herbie Taylor. Herbie is a 63-year-old Gay man of color who is retired, disabled, sober for 18+ years, a.... Read More

             

Stories of Older Adults with HIV/AIDS

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large_aids_day_GenLogo_RGB300-150x150This piece originally appeared on the NHCOA blog.

HIV can infect anyone, at any age, if given the chance. However, it does disproportionately impact certain populations. HIV/AIDS is a serious health concern for older adults; today adults 50 years of age and older account for 32.7% of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that this number will increase to 50% by 2015. The numbers don’t lie: HIV can, and often disproportionately, affects older adults, parents and grandparents.

Contrary to popular myths and stereotypes, some seniors engage in behaviors that put them at.... Read More

             

Passages

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vince-crisostomo-headshotVince Crisostomo is the Program Manager for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s 50-Plus Network.

I was 30 when Jesse Solomon and I registered as Domestic Partners in San Francisco.  We had moved to San Francisco from New York in November 1990.  Our Domestic Partnership was sealed in a quiet ceremony at city hall with little acknowledgement of our change in status except for the taxi driver who refused to take our money.  She said it was an honor for her to get us there and recommended dinner at the House of Prime Rib.  She even said she would wait for us.... Read More

             
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