LGBT Rights and Racial Justice Report

The Opportunity Agenda conducted research on the intersection of LGBT rights and racial justice. The report also looks at the roles ethnic and new media are playing today in both perpetuating and challenging negative stereotypes. The report includes four studies:

• What Americans Think about LGBT People, Rights, and Issues: A Meta-Analysis of Recent Public Opinion;
• Coverage of LGBT Issues in African-American and Latino Print and Online News Media: An Analysis of Media Content;
• An Analysis of Online Discourse about LGBT Issues in African-American and Latino Communities.

Each study has its own Findings section, but there are themes common to all. These commonalities found throughout the study suggest that although each type of media merits its own specific, culturally sensitive strategy, coordinated strategies may also be appropriate and effective. We therefore present some highlights:

• Pro-LGBT spokespeople predominate in both the African-American and Latino print media by a wide margin.
• The storylines in all three types of media tend to focus on LGBT-specific issues like marriage equality, homophobia, and the “down low lifestyle.” Few articles place LGBT people and issues within a broader societal context.
• There is some narrative overlap. The clash of values between equality, human rights, and dignity on the one hand, and morality, “natural law,” and God’s will on the other is present in both the African-American and Latino coverage. Both communities are wrestling with this apparent contradiction.

Funded by the Arcus Foundation, the research on the intersection of LGBT rights and racial justice also rely on the authorship of Loren Siegel, Elena Shore, and Fission Strategy. To read our recommendations drawn from the report, click here.

Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com

Stonewall Columbus Supports National Latino Aids Awareness Day

Stonewall Columbus is proud to support the ninth annual observance of the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD). It is a day of hope for the future of a world without AIDS.

In service to our LGBT Latino community, Stonewall Columbus will have a spanish translator present during free AIDS testing on Monday, October 17th from 1-6pm at The Center on High at 1160 N. High St, Columbus, OH 43201. (AIDS testing done in cooperation with Columbus Aids Task Force/AIDS Resource Center.) For more information call 614-299-7764 or visit www.stonewallcolumbus.org

Latinos Unite! Let’s Stay Healthy! Get Tested for HIV
Latinos Unidos y Saludables! Hazte la prueba de HIV
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Stonewall Columbus serves the Central Ohio LGBT community by providing a community center and offering programming and services that enhance the well-being and visibility of our diverse community through discovery, affirmation and celebration. For more information http://www.nlaad.org

National Latino Aids Awareness Day Oct. 15, 2011

National Latino Aids Awareness Day is Oct. 15, 2011! You can participate in this important community awareness project by organizing, supporting and participating in events in your community.
NLAAD IS LESS THAN 1 MONTH AWAY!

NLAAD 2011 CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION
• To register as a participant, visit www.nlaad.org
• By registering you will receive up-to-date information about the campaign
• You will be listed as a participant on the NLAAD website
• ALL participating organizations are required to register before you add your NLAAD event(s) and so that you can request NLAAD campaign materials and supplies
• Please keep in mind that you must register each year, so that your past registrations will not transfer

NLAAD EVENT REGISTRATION
• We would love to know what you are planning in commemoration of NLAAD!
• Register your event(s) at www.nlaad.org
• Log in with your user name and password, and look for NLAAD Events tab on the top right hand side of the page
• If you are having multiple events, please register EACH event and list each SEPARATELY
• This gives us opportunity to also recognize the great efforts you are putting forward for NLAAD

Reposted at http://keystothecloset.blogspot.com

New HIV Incidence Estimates Confirm Increased Impact among Latino Gay Males

WASHINGTON, DC – Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new HIV incidence estimates in the Public Library of Science Medicine (PLoS) which indicate that the overall number of new HIV infections has remained fairly steady from 2006–2009. However, the National Latino AIDS Action Network (NLAAN) is alarmed by the new estimates which identify Latino gay men as moving from the fourth to third most impacted population.

“These estimates underscore the historic challenge that Latino communities, particularly Latino gay men, have experienced in terms of the development of HIV prevention and testing efforts that are culturally and linguistically relevant,” stated Francisco Ruiz, Senior Manager at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and co-chair of NLAAN. “These new HIV estimates point to the depth of the HIV crisis among Latino gay men and the consequences associated with paltry efforts to prevent HIV transmission and combat multi-faceted forms of stigma,” he added.

As health departments and community-based organizations continue to experience drastic cuts in funding, we must carefully weigh the results of slashing prevention budgets. “The nation is at a turning point in the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” noted Oscar Raul Lopez, CEO/Lead Trainer of Connected Heath Solutions and co-chair of NLAAN. “We need to examine existing funding streams to ensure the development and support of effective behavioral, structural, and biomedical interventions for Latino gay men, including strategies that employ the use of technology like the Internet,” he stated.

The issue of immigration is a significant challenge faced by some Latino gay men. “As the disparity worsens with little relief promised to the newly immigrated Latinos under the Affordable Care Act, new measures to insure that the undocumented and new residents within the 5-year window have access to prevention, outreach, testing and treatment are imperative,” according to Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, Director at the NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health and co-chair of NLAAN. She further explained, “This is particularly true given the fact that many immigrant Latino males often report facing particular challenges in accessing healthcare, including isolation from traditional social support systems, discrimination and a strong apprehension toward law enforcement.”

In light of the new HIV incidence estimates released today, NLAAN calls upon community-based organizations, health departments, federal agencies, policymakers, faith-based institutions, media outlets and other community entities to recommit to the goals outlined in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Only together can we effectively tackle this public health crisis.

About NLAAN: The National Latino AIDS Action Network (NLAAN) was developed as a response to the HIV/AIDS crisis within Latino/Hispanic communities and is a participatory, collaborative and diverse network of community-based organizations, national organizations, state and local health departments, researchers and concerned individuals that identifies and prioritizes the key needs of Latinos regarding HIV/AIDS prevention, research and care and treatment.