Boston movement responds to HIV crisis

More than 150 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth poured into the Community Church of Boston May 20 for an historic event in both Massachusetts HIV organizing and youth leadership. The enthusiastic crowd, 95 percent youth of color, took part in an evening of poetry, music and documentary film organized by the New Era/Movement in Motion collective to confront the crisis in HIV gripping communities of color in Boston.

Forty-one youth, nearly 50 percent of those present, chose to be tested for HIV during the evening, the biggest single mass testing event in Massachusetts history. That was a triumph for the youth who organized the event out of a sense of urgency and resistance.

Many of those tested were first-time testers, responding enthusiastically to relevant and authentic messages from their peers to know their HIV status. The forum was part of the Test One Million Campaign, launched by the Los Angeles-based Black AIDS Institute.

“We are trying to encourage youth to not be afraid to be tested,” declared Geo Yovannys, 22, a key organizer of the event. “Youth don’t get the information and resources that we need, and we need to get tested.”

Dishon Laing, co-chair of the Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth, said: “This event brings us together for one cause—to prevent new HIV infections. Youth don’t normally discuss it. I have several friends between the ages of 16 and 20 who are HIV-positive. They are struggling right now, living at home, all youth of color. Funding for LGBT youth programs is being cut.”

During the current capitalist financial crisis, funding for HIV programs in Massachusetts has been slashed by nearly 50 percent (in real dollars) from year 2000 levels. Over the same period, more than 4,000 new HIV infections have been recorded in the state. (Massachusetts AIDS Bureau; Bureau of Labor Statistics)

While the government gives trillions of dollars to Wall Street bankers, many, mostly poor and people of color, are dying unnecessarily due to late diagnosis of their HIV status. Early diagnosis is critical both for survival and for reducing HIV incidence. Scientific studies show that people who know their HIV status reduce their risk behavior by two-thirds. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

New Era/Movement in Motion draws organizers from the Boston Youth Organizing Project, Healing Our Land, BAGLY, Boston GLASS Drop-in Center, Reflect and Strengthen, Stonewall Warriors, and Design Studio for Social Justice. The group is “organizing from below,” designed and led by LGBT youth leaders of color on an “unbought and unbossed” basis. This group is a driving force in the Boston Test One Million Coalition, comprised of mainstream AIDS service organizations and leaders from the Black community. New Era’s next event is June 27, National HIV Testing Day. For more information, contact Minister Franklin Hobbs, [email protected].