AIDS Fears Grow for Black Women | NY Times

[Ediacara]

AIDS Fears Grow for Black Women


Michael Stravato for The New York Times
Clockwise from left, Misha King, Deatree
Durham and Tracy Scott after seeing "Not
a Day Goes By," a musical about black men
who keep their bisexuality a secret.

By LINDA VILLAROSA
Published: April 5, 2004

OUSTON — Once a week, the five friends, all members of the Abundant Life Cathedral here, get together to eat sushi, sip wine and talk. But one recent afternoon, the women chose a different activity: They went to see "Not a Day Goes By," a musical about black men on the "down low" who, while not calling themselves gay or bisexual, have sex with other men, often behind the backs of their wives and girlfriends.

To these women, it was a subject of increasing urgency.

"Once I found out how prevalent the down low was in our community, I was very afraid," said one of the women, Tracy Scott, a 37-year-old government relations consultant.

Her friend Misha King, 35, said she needed to get as much information as she could, as quickly as she could.

More at the New York Times

[Roaming]

1. I'm surprised that this is a prevalent activity among black

men. Based on news reports lately relating to gay marriage, I thought most blacks were against homosexuality... It's very scary, because it could blow the AIDS rate sky-high in the community. What woman is going to use protection with a man she trusts as being monogamous, and especially heterosexually speaking? This is how it go so bad in Africa.

[wellst0nev0ter]

2. No In Africa Prostitution

plays a role in the spread of AIDS with the men soliciting prostitution without the knowledge of their wives. Of course, it's been noted that only around 35 percent of African AIDS cases are attributed to sexual transmission, seeing as how the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases has declined while AIDS rates have climbed. That means the main reason for the prevalence of AIDS in Afirca is lack of access to healthcare.