un-demonizing Black men who have sex with men (MSM)

Earlier this week, Megan Rauscher reported the findings of a recent study on race/ethnicity among MSMs, or men who have sex with men, in San Francisco: http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINTRE5654MK20090706  In the study, published in the June 2009 issue of AIDS Behavior, a scholarly journal devoted to research on AIDS, researchers Raymond and McFarland seek to explore a paradox found in recent research on AIDS among MSMs: HIV/AIDS rates are much higher among Black men who have sex with men, but they are no more likely to engage in “risky” sexual practices (e.g., sex without condoms, sex under the influence of drugs and alcohol). 

Like previous research, they found that Black MSMs are more likely to have partners of the same race.  It’s the rest of the research that turns this seemingly innocent same-race preference into something much more disgusting: among their Asian, Latino, and white participants, Black men were consistently rated as the least desirable among these four racial/ethnic groups and perceived as the greatest risk for HIV/AIDS infection.  Even among their Black participants, they found that Black men were not their top preference – they desired Latino men most, and Asian, white, and Black men equally.  So, they conclude that Black men end up having more or exclusively Black male sexual partners, and thus have a smaller sexual and social network; thus, because of the smaller network, they’re at greater risk for contracting HIV. 

This type of research is important most directly for challenging the monstrous image of Black MSMs who do not publicly identify as gay or bisexual – that is, the scary “downlow” phenomenon, one that has only been publicized among Black men, but ignored among men of other racial and ethnic backgrounds and all women.  This research also highlights an ugly truth that is often acknowledged, and then forgotten about: racism in LGBT communities.  Surely, we may find a similar devaluing of Black bodies among heterosexuals; even with the Black Power movement’s “Black is beautiful” campaign and greater positive visibility of Black people in the media, we continue to worship anglo standards of beauty.  Certainly, we need to be mindful of that and continue to combat societal racism.  But, we, fellow LGBT and queer folks, really need to get it together.  We’re talking out of two sides of our mouths: our struggle is just like that of Blacks in the 1960s (thus ignoring the persistence of racism today), yet marginalizing LGBT and queer people of color.  We cannot continue to celebrate the diversity among us while being so clearly divided by the issues that make us diverse; that is, HIV/AIDS among Black gay, bisexual, and other MSM men is not merely a “Black issue”, nor just a Black gay issue.  Now that I think of it, it’s not anyone’s issue – it’s a human issue (that we all need to address).