On World AIDS Day: A Candid Look at Black Women, the "Down Low" and HIV/AIDS
Ruth Houston
December 01, 2008
Today is World AIDS Day. Despite the fact that Blacks make up only 12% of the population, they represent over 50% of all HIV/AIDS cases.
The statistics for Black women and HIV/AIDS are even more alarming. According to the CDC, Black women are 33 times more likely than white women to be living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the United States are Black women.
As an infidelity expert and a Black woman, I feel I have a 2-fold obligation to speak out on the issue of Black women and HIV/AIDS because same sex infidelity, better known in the Black community as "the down low," is one of the primary ways Black women are contracting HIV.
I firmly believe that ignorance is largely responsible for the soaring rate of HIV/AIDS among Black women. It's hard to believe that a sane Black woman would willingly put herself at risk for HIV/AIDS if she were fully aware of the facts about HIV/AIDS – the statistics, methods of transmission, the prevalence of the disease among Black women, and the things about her lifestyle that put her at risk.
Too many Black women are ignorant concerning various aspects of HIV/AIDS, and that ignorance invites infection.
When it comes to Black women and HIV/AIDS, that ignorance can take many forms. However, the average Black woman´s ignorance about HIV/AIDS falls into two main categories:
A. ignorance about the facts or statistics regarding Black women and HIV/AIDS
B. ignorance of the circumstances in her lifestyle which put her at risk for HIV infection
Lets take a closer look at these two areas of ignorance which put Black women at risk for HIV/AIDS.
Ignorance About HIV/AIDS Facts And Statistics
1. Ignorance that that HIV/AIDS is no longer a predominantly gay white male disease, but is now a predominantly Black disease, with Black women being the highest risk category
2. Ignorance that Blacks are the hardest hit of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
3. Ignorance that despite the fact that Blacks account for 12 percent of the U.S. population, they represent over 50% of all HIV/AIDS cases,
4. Ignorance that HIV/AIDS is now a major health crisis for Black women.
5. Ignorance that HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for Black women 25-34 years of age.
6. Ignorance that almost 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the United States are Black women.
7. Ignorance that 62% of women living with HIV are Black women
8. Ignorance that Black women are 33 times more likely than white women to be living with HIV/AIDS.
9. Ignorance that Black women are most likely to be infected with HIV as a result of unprotected sex with men who are HIV positive.
10. Ignorance that the majority of Black men who are HIV positive have no idea they are infected.
11. Ignorance that exposure to another sexually-transmitted disease like gonorrhea, syphilis, or chlamydia can increase her risk of getting HIV.
12..Ignorance that Blacks with AIDS have shorter survival times, and don´t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups who have AIDS.
13. Ignorance that there is NO CURE for HIV/AIDS, but there are treatments that can help manage the disease and keep it from getting worse.
Ignorance of Lifestyle Circumstances that Put Her at Risk for HIV/AIDS
1. Ignorance that her husband or boyfriend is a potential source of HIV/AIDS.
2. Ignorance of her sex partner´s sexual history, or his true sexual orientation.
3. Ignorance that her husband or boyfriend partner has other sex partners, and that she is not in a monogamous relationship as she assumed.
4. Ignorance that her husband or boyfriend is sexually involved with another man, and that she is a victim of same sex infidelity.
5. Ignorance that the most common way for a Black woman to become infected with HIV is by having unprotected sex with a Black man on the down low.
6. Ignorance about how to accurately determine if her husband or boyfriend is on the down low.
7. Ignorance about her man´s HIV status – that he may be HIV positive, and may have already infected her with HIV.
8. Ignorance about her own HIV status
9. Ignorance that if she is HIV positive, early treatment can keep the disease from turning into full blown AIDS.
Ignorance in any one of the 22 areas mentioned above can invite infection.
My Message to Black Women on World AIDS Day
Educate yourself about HIV/AIDS. This is the best way to over come your ignorance in these areas concerning HIV/AIDS. Ignorance invites infection.
Knowledge is power. The more you know about HIV/AIDS, and how it´s transmitted, and the lifestyle factors that put you at risk for this disease, the less likely you´ll be to engage in behavior that can jeopardize your health
It would be a tragedy if you were to become infected with HIV through no fault of your own, because of something you didn´t know.
Get tested. Know your own HIV status, and that of your husband, boyfriend, or sex partner. Don´t take chances with your health. To find a testing center near you, visit hivtest.org or, on your cell phone, text your zip code to Know IT (566948).
Abstain, or practice safe sex.
If you are, or have been sexually involved with someone whose HIV status you don´t know, GET TESTED RIGHT AWAY. The longer you wait to find out, the worse it will be for your health later on, if it turns out that you are HIV positive.
2 Resources to Help Eliminate Ignorance about Black Women, the Down Low and HIV/AIDS
In an effort to help eliminate much of the ignorance surrounding Black women, the "Down Low "and HIV/AIDS, I´ve compiled the following documents:
Black Woman´s HIV/AIDS Awareness Quiz
A Black Woman´s HIV/AIDS Awareness Quiz designed to help Black women identify the gaps in their knowledge and behavior in their lifestyles that put them at risk for HIV/AIDS. The quiz will help you pinpoint any changes you need to make in order to safeguard your health and decrease your chances of becoming an HIV/AIDS statistic.
The quiz can be found on my blog Black Women, the Down Low and HIV/AIDS at http://blackwomen-thedownlow-hivaids.blogspot.com/ Take the quiz. Share it with your female friends and relatives, and encourage them to take it too. Your health, your well-being, your very life depends on being well informed. Ignorance Invites infection.
The Down Low Dozen Tip Sheet
Part 1 of this free 2-part tip sheet describes a discreet 3-step procedure for finding out your man is on the down low, without the risk of looking foolish or making false accusations. Part 2 of the Down Low Dozen tip sheet gives practical advice on what to do if you find out your husband or boyfriend is on the down low, how to confront him about his down low status, questions to ask, precautions to take, and how to find places to get help. For a FREE copy of the Down Low Dozen tip sheet, e-mail DownLowDozen@gmail.com with "DL Dozen-ac" in the subject line. Ignorance invites infection. If your man is on the Down low, you can´t afford to be the last to know.
About Ruth Houston:
Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, is the founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com and the author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, which documents practically every known sign of infidelity.
Frequently called on by the media to comment on popular infidelity issues and infidelity-related breaking news, Ruth has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Cosmopolitan, Essence, the New York Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, the Toronto Sun, Maclean's, Chatelaine, Upscale, Heart & Soul, MSN Lifestyle, FoxNews.com, ABCNews.com, msnbc.com, Divorce360.com, AOL Black Voices, iVillage, Reuters, AP, UPI and numerous other print and online media worldwide.
Ruth has also been a guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox & Friends, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, NBC News, BBC, CBC, WCBS, ABC News, Fox News, 1010WINS, Sirius Satellite Radio, the Michael Baisden Show, Living in Black, the Breakfast Club and over 470 radio and TV news and talk shows in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
For more information, visit www.InfidelityAdvice.com or Ruth Houston´s infidelity blog at http://infidelitynewsandviews.blogspot.com
To interview infidelity expert Ruth Houston, or book her as a speaker for your organization or group, call 718 592-6039 or e-mail InfidelityExpert@gmail.com
The statistics for Black women and HIV/AIDS are even more alarming. According to the CDC, Black women are 33 times more likely than white women to be living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the United States are Black women.
As an infidelity expert and a Black woman, I feel I have a 2-fold obligation to speak out on the issue of Black women and HIV/AIDS because same sex infidelity, better known in the Black community as "the down low," is one of the primary ways Black women are contracting HIV.
I firmly believe that ignorance is largely responsible for the soaring rate of HIV/AIDS among Black women. It's hard to believe that a sane Black woman would willingly put herself at risk for HIV/AIDS if she were fully aware of the facts about HIV/AIDS – the statistics, methods of transmission, the prevalence of the disease among Black women, and the things about her lifestyle that put her at risk.
Too many Black women are ignorant concerning various aspects of HIV/AIDS, and that ignorance invites infection.
When it comes to Black women and HIV/AIDS, that ignorance can take many forms. However, the average Black woman´s ignorance about HIV/AIDS falls into two main categories:
A. ignorance about the facts or statistics regarding Black women and HIV/AIDS
B. ignorance of the circumstances in her lifestyle which put her at risk for HIV infection
Lets take a closer look at these two areas of ignorance which put Black women at risk for HIV/AIDS.
Ignorance About HIV/AIDS Facts And Statistics
1. Ignorance that that HIV/AIDS is no longer a predominantly gay white male disease, but is now a predominantly Black disease, with Black women being the highest risk category
2. Ignorance that Blacks are the hardest hit of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
3. Ignorance that despite the fact that Blacks account for 12 percent of the U.S. population, they represent over 50% of all HIV/AIDS cases,
4. Ignorance that HIV/AIDS is now a major health crisis for Black women.
5. Ignorance that HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for Black women 25-34 years of age.
6. Ignorance that almost 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the United States are Black women.
7. Ignorance that 62% of women living with HIV are Black women
8. Ignorance that Black women are 33 times more likely than white women to be living with HIV/AIDS.
9. Ignorance that Black women are most likely to be infected with HIV as a result of unprotected sex with men who are HIV positive.
10. Ignorance that the majority of Black men who are HIV positive have no idea they are infected.
11. Ignorance that exposure to another sexually-transmitted disease like gonorrhea, syphilis, or chlamydia can increase her risk of getting HIV.
12..Ignorance that Blacks with AIDS have shorter survival times, and don´t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups who have AIDS.
13. Ignorance that there is NO CURE for HIV/AIDS, but there are treatments that can help manage the disease and keep it from getting worse.
Ignorance of Lifestyle Circumstances that Put Her at Risk for HIV/AIDS
1. Ignorance that her husband or boyfriend is a potential source of HIV/AIDS.
2. Ignorance of her sex partner´s sexual history, or his true sexual orientation.
3. Ignorance that her husband or boyfriend partner has other sex partners, and that she is not in a monogamous relationship as she assumed.
4. Ignorance that her husband or boyfriend is sexually involved with another man, and that she is a victim of same sex infidelity.
5. Ignorance that the most common way for a Black woman to become infected with HIV is by having unprotected sex with a Black man on the down low.
6. Ignorance about how to accurately determine if her husband or boyfriend is on the down low.
7. Ignorance about her man´s HIV status – that he may be HIV positive, and may have already infected her with HIV.
8. Ignorance about her own HIV status
9. Ignorance that if she is HIV positive, early treatment can keep the disease from turning into full blown AIDS.
Ignorance in any one of the 22 areas mentioned above can invite infection.
My Message to Black Women on World AIDS Day
Educate yourself about HIV/AIDS. This is the best way to over come your ignorance in these areas concerning HIV/AIDS. Ignorance invites infection.
Knowledge is power. The more you know about HIV/AIDS, and how it´s transmitted, and the lifestyle factors that put you at risk for this disease, the less likely you´ll be to engage in behavior that can jeopardize your health
It would be a tragedy if you were to become infected with HIV through no fault of your own, because of something you didn´t know.
Get tested. Know your own HIV status, and that of your husband, boyfriend, or sex partner. Don´t take chances with your health. To find a testing center near you, visit hivtest.org or, on your cell phone, text your zip code to Know IT (566948).
Abstain, or practice safe sex.
If you are, or have been sexually involved with someone whose HIV status you don´t know, GET TESTED RIGHT AWAY. The longer you wait to find out, the worse it will be for your health later on, if it turns out that you are HIV positive.
2 Resources to Help Eliminate Ignorance about Black Women, the Down Low and HIV/AIDS
In an effort to help eliminate much of the ignorance surrounding Black women, the "Down Low "and HIV/AIDS, I´ve compiled the following documents:
Black Woman´s HIV/AIDS Awareness Quiz
A Black Woman´s HIV/AIDS Awareness Quiz designed to help Black women identify the gaps in their knowledge and behavior in their lifestyles that put them at risk for HIV/AIDS. The quiz will help you pinpoint any changes you need to make in order to safeguard your health and decrease your chances of becoming an HIV/AIDS statistic.
The quiz can be found on my blog Black Women, the Down Low and HIV/AIDS at http://blackwomen-thedownlow-hivaids.blogspot.com/ Take the quiz. Share it with your female friends and relatives, and encourage them to take it too. Your health, your well-being, your very life depends on being well informed. Ignorance Invites infection.
The Down Low Dozen Tip Sheet
Part 1 of this free 2-part tip sheet describes a discreet 3-step procedure for finding out your man is on the down low, without the risk of looking foolish or making false accusations. Part 2 of the Down Low Dozen tip sheet gives practical advice on what to do if you find out your husband or boyfriend is on the down low, how to confront him about his down low status, questions to ask, precautions to take, and how to find places to get help. For a FREE copy of the Down Low Dozen tip sheet, e-mail DownLowDozen@gmail.com with "DL Dozen-ac" in the subject line. Ignorance invites infection. If your man is on the Down low, you can´t afford to be the last to know.
About Ruth Houston:
Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, is the founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com and the author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, which documents practically every known sign of infidelity.
Frequently called on by the media to comment on popular infidelity issues and infidelity-related breaking news, Ruth has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Cosmopolitan, Essence, the New York Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, the Toronto Sun, Maclean's, Chatelaine, Upscale, Heart & Soul, MSN Lifestyle, FoxNews.com, ABCNews.com, msnbc.com, Divorce360.com, AOL Black Voices, iVillage, Reuters, AP, UPI and numerous other print and online media worldwide.
Ruth has also been a guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox & Friends, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, NBC News, BBC, CBC, WCBS, ABC News, Fox News, 1010WINS, Sirius Satellite Radio, the Michael Baisden Show, Living in Black, the Breakfast Club and over 470 radio and TV news and talk shows in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
For more information, visit www.InfidelityAdvice.com or Ruth Houston´s infidelity blog at http://infidelitynewsandviews.blogspot.com
To interview infidelity expert Ruth Houston, or book her as a speaker for your organization or group, call 718 592-6039 or e-mail InfidelityExpert@gmail.com
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