Open Letter: Let's Stop Falling Behind on HIV

Dear LGBT Community,

Over the last 30 years, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people have seen great strides in the movement for full equality. Much of this success is the result of a concerted movement, which was galvanized in response to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

In the decades since, our movement has seen incredible victories. Today, 21 states and Washington, D.C., have implemented nondiscrimination laws in employment to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees. Eighteen states allow gay couples to adopt children. Sixteen states have passed legislation protecting LGBT students from discrimination, with another 15 states specifically protecting LGBT students from bullying. Gays and lesbians can now serve openly in the military, and now 12 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have legalized same-sex marriage. More than half of all Americans support marriage equality, including the first-ever sitting president.

Unfortunately, our community hasn't maintained the same momentum in our fight against HIV. Gay and bisexual men recently accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections and perhaps most concerning is the 22% increase among those between 13 and 24 years old. Each day, more than 80 gay and bisexual men become infected with HIV in the United States. These trends are even more pronounced among gay and bisexual men of color, with young black gay and bisexual men having a higher rate of HIV infection than any other population in this country. While we don't have enough data on transgender populations, studies show that 28% of transgender women are HIV positive in the United States with rates over 50% for African American transgender women.

One in five gay and bisexual men are living with HIV in the United States. Despite these alarming statistics, which have galvanized our community in the past, the HIV epidemic has seemed to fall by the wayside. Many in our community have simply stopped talking about the issue. This must change. We, the undersigned, are committed to being part of this change and urge the entire community to join us in this fight.

If you are a policy maker, fight to protect and expand HIV treatment and prevention programming and fight to stop HIV criminalization at the federal, state and local level.

If you are an LGBT organization, be sure to speak to your constituents about the continued toll this epidemic has on our community.

If you're an LGBT donor, support causes that benefit the health of the community.

And get tested, know your status, and join the fight to end this epidemic.

Science and policy have aligned like never before to make it possible to envision an AIDS-free generation. That vision will not be realized without addressing the persistent and disparate impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. Today, we commit to ending this epidemic and protecting the health of our community. We urge you to join us in this effort.

Signed,

Michael Adams

SAGE

Brett Andrews

Positive Resource Center

Selisse Berry

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates

Rea Carey

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Rudolph H. Carn

NAESM, Inc.

Kevin M. Cathcart

Lambda Legal

Bernard Cherkasov

Equality Illinois

Masen Davis

Transgender Law Center

Victor E. Diaz-Herman

Pridelines Youth Services

Antonio David Garcia

Affirmations

Marjorie Hill

Gay Men's Health Crisis

Jody Huckaby

PFLAG National

Rebecca Isaacs

Equality Federation

Lorri L. Jean

LA Gay and Lesbian Community Center

Paul Kawata

National Minority AIDS Council

Kate Kendell

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Lorraine Langlois

Metro Wellness & Community Centers

Curtis Lipscomb

Kick - The Agency for LGBT African Americans

Carlos Martinez

The Center/GLBT Community Center of Colorado

Monica Meyer

OutFront Minnesota

Candice Nichols

The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada

Lisa Perry-Wood

Family Equality Council

Terry Stone

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Kara Suffredini

MassEquality

Fred Swanson

Gay City Health Project

Lee Swislow

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders

Glennda Testone

The NYC LGBT Community Center

Lance Toma

Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center

Modesto Tico Valle

Center on Halsted

Toni Young

Community Education Group

Phill Wilson

Black AIDS Institute

Chuck Wolfe

Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund