New Media and Organizations Serving Black Gay Men

Content From: AIDS.govPublished: January 27, 20142 min read

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Last week, researchers, AIDS services organizations and others attended the National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDSExit Disclaimer and other Health Disparities. This annual event is hosted by National AIDS Education & Services for MinoritiesExit Disclaimer (NAESM), an organization that has served the community of black men who have sex with men (BMSM) for almost 25 years.

The theme of this year’s meeting was Black Is, Black Ain’t: Celebrating Our Blackness by Living Healthy—an exploration of what it means to live as a healthy BMSM. Conference participants explored the impact of stigma on HIV prevention and health disparities, and many wanted to learn more about how they can use new media to reach the BMSM community. Several participants gave important insights into how organizations serving BMSM are using new media to expand the possibilities of HIV prevention.

For example, young MSM leaders at Project Uno in Nashville, Tennessee are effectively using tools like Facebook and Twitter to reach their peers and very soon will launch a new website where they will incorporate our locator widget, making it easier for their visitors, and even those outside of their service area to find HIV testing and other health services. And B.R.O. IV L.I.F.E. in Houston, Texas is using YouTube and alternative mobile tools such as gay social and dating apps in their work.

We want to learn more! How are you using apps and new media tools to promote and extend the reach of your HIV prevention messages to BMSM?

Also, how do you use new media to promote attendance at your conferences or events?