HIVE Magazine: The Effect of Homophobia on HIV Prevalence
Honorable Mention, People's Choice Spring 2020
By: Derek Sportsman, Jesus Garcia Blanco, and Kimberly Graybeal
HIV Can Kill. Homophobia Makes It Happen.
We are going to explore how homophobia as a transnational cultural system of oppression has allowed for an increasing prevalence of HIV, despite technological medical advancements that make viral loads undetectable for people living with HIV.
Governmental and social limitations, such as a lack of access to appropriate prophylactic treatments and education, have prevented the global fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, thereby allowing for the continuation of this problem. Thus, we argue that it is such oppressions, along with classism, xenophobia, and heterosexism, that are the propelling force for the increasing prevalence of HIV in nearly all regions of the world.
For example, HIV transmission rates are increasing in Russia partly because sexual education programs teach “moral education” – heterosexual marriage, chastity, etc. – rather than LGBTQ inclusive, protection-based sex education. Because of this lack of proper sex education, HIV prevalence is increasing in Russian populations, and we expect to see similar trends in other regions of the world.
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