Last month. rapper DaBaby made some anti-gay remarks on stage at the Rolling Loud Music Festival.
DaBaby was quickly accused of spreading misinformation, many consider harmful, about HIV and AIDS.
This incident prompted a broader discussion about how society interacts with those who live with the disease. There are many ways to contract HIV – whether it is through birth, sexual assault, or even unprotected consensual sex.
The stigma surrounding the disease has kept many people from getting tested, leading to higher rates of Black women contracting or babies being born with it.
According to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation open letter to DaBaby:
•Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV. 13% of them don’t know they have it, reinforcing the need for HIV testing and to end stigma around HIV testing.
•Black Americans account for 43-percent more HIV diagnoses in the country, there are 42-percent of black Americans living with HIV, and black Americans account for 44-percent of the deaths among people with HIV. That’s higher than any other racial and ethnic group in the U.S.
•Medications like PrEP protect people who do not have HIV from contracting it. The CDC states that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed.
While there is no cure for HIV and AIDS, it is not a death sentence. Antiretroviral therapies help manage the condition and help those who take it lead long and healthy lives.
During Monday’s edition of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, Raniya Copeland, MPH, President/CEO, Black AIDS Institute, Carolyn Wysinger, Board President, San Francisco Pride and Rev. Rob Newells-Newton, Director, National Programs, Black AIDS Institute addressed controversy and pushed back against the misinformation and destigmatized the narrative and also educated about HIV/AIDS.
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