The word discrimination once conjured images of h

preferences. For the African-American homosexual any mistreatment based on race must also be coupled with mistreatment based on sexual preference. Homosexuality in the African-American community is strictly taboo. Many black male homosexuals are harmed due to homophobia. Black homosexuals who have AIDS must deal with even more negative issues concerning their status than all other peoples. Christy Feig, in her article “Black Male Gays, bisexuals hit hard by HIV,” says “Many gay individuals have many problems concerning their family life. Parents and other family may have shunned gay individuals based on their choices for sexual preference. If a gay individual contracts AIDS, the family is forced to battle their possible negative connotations about both issues.” (Feig 2). For many families this is too much to bare emotionally . The same issues apply for black homosexuals in the workforce. Faced already with racial discrimination by whites they are faced with homosexual discrimination by even their own race. They are ostracized and left out of unofficial company functions.

Gays in American society are ostracized and mistreated based on their sexual

The majority of people with AIDS rarely disclose their status to those around them due to the social stigmas surrounding their illness (Durham 103). In the African-American community few programs are available were people with AIDS warn others of the dangers of the disease. Many think of the disease as being merely a homosexual disease, something that only poor people can contract or a disease drug users may contract. If they do not see themselves as fitting these criteria they tend to think they will not be infected with HIV the virus that causes AIDS. In fact, people from all walks of life are infected with AIDS daily. Homosexuals, heterosexuals, blacks, whites, Hispanic, poor people, rich people, etc. are all affected by this disease. In the African-American community many fail to realize this fact. Many people think of themselves as not having AIDS because they may not have had sexual intercourse with many partners or ever taken some drugs; however, it takes only one incident or encounter to contract AIDS.

In the African-American community there is very little activism. This may be due in part to the stigmas surrounding AIDS. The majority of blacks do not view AIDS as the major problem that it is. It is quieted and brushed under the table. Parents are not willing to confront their children about the dangers of unsafe sex. According to Mary O'Donnell, author of Loss, Grief and Hope, “….a greater proportion of white adolescents are aware of AIDS and effective prevention than other racial groups.” (O’Donnell 185). The entire community must work to make sure that black adolescents are educated on the subject as well.

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