Remember HIV/AIDS? It’s Still Raging in the U.S.

We have been told for decades that HIV/AIDS has no bias, and that much is true. The virus could care less about racial, sexual or gender identity. But sadly, American society very much has bias, and as a consequence HIV/AIDS is quite a bit more of a threat to some than it is to others. So it is that black Americans account for nearly half of all people living with the virus in the U.S. Nearly half. It’s such a striking stat that it overwhelms. Still, here’s another one along those lines: If black America were its own country, our HIV epidemic would rank 16th in the world. But even among black folks, there’s bias, too. And so it is that black gay and bisexual men—or, men who have sex with men in public health parlance—are today at the center of a surging epidemic. The question, of course, is why? The answers are manifold, but I’ve always used this shorthand: HIV infection rates are an excellent measure for who societies don’t give a damn about.