last year, the gmhc of new york produced this public service announcement. it is very eye-opening which it is meant to be; click here and download appropriately
These two articles received from the CCMTF listserve regarding a very little discussed population with regard to meth use: the african american gay men's culture. some of my questions around all this: will gay men at large pay as much notice? will they care? does the rainbow flag have any meaning or does it tend to just be a colorful hollow symbol of who we are and where our priorities are? will books be written, will there be a talk show circuit? will the press coverage be as voluminous? is this a separate population from the gay population? in what ways? will they struggle in silence and without general support. do we claim them when it's convenient and satisfies our needs, but forget about them when the party's over?
The following is from a North Carolina study:
Crystal methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that initially gained popularity in the western region of the United States and has spread to all regions of the country. This study was designed to identify factors associated with methamphetamine use among men who have sex with men (MSM) in North Carolina. Participants were recruited in five gay bars and in five geographically defined Internet chat rooms concurrently in 2005 to complete a brief assessment of drug use and other risk behaviors. Of the 1189 MSM who completed the assessment, mean age was 29 years. Two thirds self-identified as black/African American or other minorities, and 25% as bisexual. Nearly 6% reported using methamphetamines during the past 30 days. In multi variable analysis, MSMwho reported using methamphetamines were more likely to report higher education; health insurance coverage; inconsistent condom use during anal sex within the past 3 months; a history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) infection; positive HIV serostatus; and use of medications designed to treat erectile dysfunction. A lack of data exists on methamphetamine use among MSM in the southeastern United States,particularly in non urban regions. Because the southeastern United States carries a disproportionate HIV, AIDS, and STD burden, our findings underscore the need for further research and intervention.
and this from New York City:
A comparative analysis of methamphetamine use: Black gay and bisexual men in relation to men of other races. Halkitis PN, Jerome RC.Addict Behav. 2007 Aug 8; [Epub ahead of print] We investigated the patterns and correlates of methamphetamine use among Black gay and bisexual men who participated in a large-scale study of club drug use, and sexual behavior in combination with club drug usein New York City. Almost half of the Black men (49%) in the sample indicated use of methamphetamine in the 4 months prior to assessment, aproportion somewhat lower than their White counterparts. In terms of the overall sample, the proportion of the Black men in the study was equivalent to the proportion of methamphetamine users who identified as Black. Black methamphetamine users tended not to reside in neighborhoods considered traditionally gay, were more likely to be HIV-positive, have lower educational attainment, and have lower levels of income than other methamphetamine users. In terms of frequency and reasons for use, Black methamphetamine users did not differ in any substantive way compared toother races and ethnicities. In addition, they did not differ along any key demographic lines from Black non-methamphetamine users. Poly-druguse was common among all Black men in the sample, with almost all methamphetamine users also reporting use of cocaine, but cocaine user snot necessarily reporting methamphetamine use. Once a drug that was considered popular only among White gay men, methamphetamine use has been shown to transcend racial and ethnic lines. Because of the synergy that exists between use of the drug, the concentrated levels of HIV Ianthe Black gay population, and the sexual disinhibition engendered with methamphetamine use, this drug presents a potentially mounting public health challenge. Characteristics of a sample of men who have sex with men, recruited from gay bars and internet chat rooms, who report methamphetamine use.
This is the sentiment of an addict to me. A private dancer. A dancer for money (or tina!). It ain't all it's cracked(lol) to be.
London, Paris, Rome - long since I've been home
Chose the yellow-brick road, blinded by the light
Acted like a star, unpolluted laughter
Took myself too far, never a morning after
And I danced my life away
Now there's so much left to say
There's no easy way down, my dear
Listen, my dear
Cruising in my car, pain and caviar
Diamonds for breakfast, then some love for lunch
They were traitors then, I was the blossoming flower
Fell in love with them, this was my finest hour
And I danced my life away
And I got so much left to say
There's no easy way down, my dear
Listen, my dear
No more rambling rose, feel like bailin' out
My mascara's leaking, looking like a freak
There's no one to blame how I've spent my days through
And if you want the same, I can always show you
How I danced my life away
When there was so much left to say
There's no easy way down, my dear
Listen, my dear
2 comments:
This is a tough one, because the issue of homophobia within the black community at large creates another layer to work past--as if the seriousness of the meth addiction, the HIV, and the racism weren't problematic enough.
White gay men aren't anymore immune to racism as another other white people, but as gay people who should know better about being marginalized, I think it is incumbent on us to be hyperaware of the role it plays. I also think we need to support rather than take the lead in change, similarly to the civil rights movement. The change that sticks will largely come from within.
I still think there's an increasing disconnect between those who possess knowledge, power, and influence in the GLBT community and the great mass who are g, l, b, t. Social issues of race, HIV, substance abuse do not follow a LGBT stratum. All the people still fall into their respective socio-economic-education levels. The failure of the LGBT intelligentsia has been in thinking that anything simplistic as a Community actually exists, outside of Gay Pride Day.
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