“We need to stop making Black Men the enemy... this happens in society in general.” So then what?

“We need to stop making Black Men the enemy... this happens in society in general.”

Socio-Cultural and contextual Barriers to HIV Prevention Among African American MSMS – Emerging Perspectives on the “Down Low” from Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men in the South

Then what is it that we do need to do? Who or what should be the blame... the cause… or even be identified as contributing factors for the skyrocketing increasing in HIV incidence of new infection amongst African American women…

Do we then encourage us to ignore the overwhelming date that Black men/Black gay men are overwhelmingly represented in HIV prevalence?

Do we then tell women to move their focus from the cause(s) of HIV and focus on care?

We take this global stance on the “down-low” being merely about men who have sex with men in the shadows and women in the light.  However, that is a convenient way for us to glaze over the underlying issues of

• Infidelity
• Promiscuity
• Lack of communication
• Poor negotiation skills
• Trust - expectation for you partner to save you
•  “Don’t ask – don’t tell – The overwhelming propensity for people not to inquire about partner’s sexual practices, history, orientation or previous risk-taking behaviors
• Poor Self Esteem

When does the solution come amidst the harsh realities? How do we them produce, models, mindsets, competencies that aid women in stronger self care, self-protection, self-awareness, consistent safer sex practices…

Yes, making the men the villains does not move us forward.. However, nor does ignoring it…