National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and the Internet

By Miguel Gomez

Understanding how gay and bisexual men are using the Internet and its impact on HIV transmission, testing, and care is critical. Sunday, September 27, is National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD), which National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and its partners originated and sponsor. NAPWA is using the Internet to support this day which was launched in 2008 in response to the increasing rates of HIV among gay and bisexual men. Here are some comments from Tom Kujawski, NAPWA’s Vice President of Development about the day:

Tom Kujawski, NAPWA’s Vice President of Development

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Gay and bisexual men, particularly young men and men of color, continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS in the US. NGMHAAD calls upon the nation to respond collectively to the HIV crisis facing gay and bisexual men. NGMHAAD works to encourage gay and bisexual men to get tested; to illustrate how communities, including corporate and elected officials, care about the well-being of gay and bisexual men; and to raise awareness about the severity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among gay and bisexual men.”

“We hypothesize that gay men generally use three primary types of new (online) media: a) Mainstream: This category includes major publications (national newspapers/monthlies), blogs and social networking (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.); b) LGBT-focused: This category is mainly gay blogs and sites (e.g. Towleroad, gay.com, Andrew Sullivan); and c) Dating & Sex Sites.

I Know, I Took the Test: My HIV Testing Story

By Miguel Gomez

Whitman-Walker Mobile HIV Testing Van

National HIV Testing Day was last Saturday. All month we've encouraged people to listen to real stories from real people about what taking an HIV test means to them. We used a widget to show short videos of both HIV+ and HIV- people sharing their stories about getting tested. And as we moved towards the end of this 4-week National HIV Testing Day blog series, we also listened to the President of the United States talking about his experience taking an HIV test.

I wanted to add to this conversation and share my experience as a gay man getting an HIV test last week.

Reaching Gay Men Using the Internet

By Miguel Gomez

Earlier this week, I attended a technical assistance meeting sponsored by the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) about reaching gay men using the Internet. Engaging in a dialogue on how gay men are using the Internet and its impact on HIV transmission, testing and care is something that, as the Director of AIDS.gov, is a top priority and a topic that we'll be exploring more in the weeks to come.