HIV Rises in Young Gay Males Job Experts Fear ‘Another Wave of Death’ Market Among Hispanic and Black Men Doomed? by Casey Feldman Ing Rates
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
FEATURES OPINIONS LAPTOPS BHUTTO Teachers and students weigh in on whether these Students question the ability of Bhutto’s technological treasures are really helpful in class. son to lead after his mother’s assassination. PAGE 15 PAGE 7 THE OBSERVER JANUARY 31, 2008 www.fordhamobserver.com VOLUME XXVIII, IssUE 1 HIV Rises in Young Gay Males Job Experts Fear ‘Another Wave of Death’ Market Among Hispanic and Black Men Doomed? By CASEY FELDMAN ing rates. Web site states that in 2006, almost at Mount Sinai Medical Center, she Staff Writer Since 2001, the rate of new HIV 90 percent of MSM diagnosed with remembered one patient displaying FCLC Seniors Might infections among Manhattan men HIV in New York City were Hispan- what a recent New York Times ar- FCLC—“Get high. Get stupid. under 30 who have sex with men has ic or black. Experts blame lack of ticle termed “treatment optimism.” Not Have To Worry Get AIDS.” increased by 57 percent, according education, cultural attitudes toward “[The patient] said, ‘now the So went the commercial that in- to the New York City Department homosexuality and drug use as the treatments are so much better, so By MEAGHAN DILLON spired 40-year-old Tom*, an black of Health and Mental Hygiene (DO- causes of this increase. even if I get it, it doesn’t matter,’” Ri- News Co-Editor HIV-positive male from the Bronx, HMH). “Young people are thinking ‘it vera Mindt recalled. “The treatments to get an AIDS test in 1996. “I knew In addition, the Web site re- won’t happen to me,’” said Monica are significantly better, but it can still FCLC—With economists saying I was in the risk group. I was getting ported that the rate of infection in Rivera Mindt, a clinical neuropsy- kill you! That was so sad to hear,” we are facing a recession, seniors who high, getting drunk, and I was get- Hispanic and black men who have chologist and assistant professor she said. are graduating in May have plenty ting stupid and [having unprotected sex with men (MSM) has increased of psychology at Fordham College to worry about when it comes to the sex],” he said at the Momentum 34 percent since 2001—an especially at Lincoln Center (FCLC). “They *Name has been changed to job market. However, several experts Soup Kitchen for individuals with “striking number,” considering that haven’t seen friends dying of AIDS… protect identity. say that although it is difficult at this HIV/AIDS. Hispanic and black MSM already people walking around with le- point to predict when this recession “Where I lived [in the Bronx], accounted for the great majority of sions…like the [previous generation may happen, those who are about to everyone was doing it during [the new HIV diagnoses. The did].” During her research with begin job hunting may not have such late 1980s]. We didn’t have the edu- HIV-positive in- a difficult time after all, unless they see HIV pg. 4 cation. You walk down the street dividua ls are seeking employment in the finan- at 2 a.m., a girl is waving at you, cial industry. and you can hit it and quit it right “In New York, it is going to be there for $10 and a bag of crack. very tough finding a job in the finan- We weren’t using protection for cial market,” Shapoor Vali, associate that,” he said. “You just weren’t go- professor of economics at Fordham ing to stop the moment and look College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) for a condom.” said. Vali is referring to the tremen- The risky be- dous financial losses, resulting in lay- haviors that Tom offs at various financial groups such described, in both as Citigroup, Bank of America Corp. gay and straight and Merrill Lynch. However, Vali individuals, doesn’t foresee this being a problem were contribut- for many students at FCLC, but more ing factors to of a concern for students who attend the NYC AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Sta- tistics indicate that despite the heightened profile of HIV/ AIDS, NYC’s young gay men are still engaging in the same risky behaviors and con- tracting HIV at in- creasingly alarm- CRAIG CALEFATE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/ THE OBSERVER CRAIG CALEFATE/THE OBSERVER One in four men who Graduating FCLC seniors may not have sex with men in be doomed in the job market. Chelsea are HIV- see JOB MARKET pg. 4 positive. Inside NEWS New York Giants Headed to Super Bowl WHO WILL YOU VOTE By BRENT NYCZ the Giants have won 10 straight road Card round, the Giants took on the FOR? Asst.Sports Editor games, a National Football League Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After gain- Obama appeals to young voters, but record. By earning the fifth seed in ing -2 yards and not scoring in the the GOP candidiate is anyone’s call. The New York Giants are headed the National Football Conference first quarter, the Giants took charge u PAGE 5 to the Super Bowl, after defeating the playoffs, the 13-6 Giants had to play in the second, scoring 14 points and Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime on the road for all three of their eventually winning the contest 24- on Jan. 20. After missing a 36-yard playoff games. With the retirement 14. field goal at the end of regulation, of star halfback Tiki Barber during In the Divisional Round, the Gi- ARTS Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes con- the off-season and the losses of tight ants faced their NFC rivals and the DEATH OF A YOUNG STAR nected on a 47-yard field goal in end Jeremy Shockey and linebacker number one seeded Dallas Cow- Students reflect on Heath Ledger’s career overtime to send the Giants to Super Mathias Kiwanuka to season-ending boys. Giants quarterback Eli Man- after he was found dead in his Manhattan Bowl XLII. The Giants are appearing injuries, the Giants entered the play- ning continued his strong playoff apartment on Jan. 22. in the Super Bowl for the fourth time offs in a terribly weakened state. performance by going 12 for 18 for in team history. The Giants, however, embraced u PAGE 11 With the win against the Packers, their underdog role. In the Wild see giANTS pg. 19 The Student Voice of Fordham College at Lincoln Center 4 News January 31, 2008 THE ObsERVER WWW .fordhamobserver.com NYC HIV Cases Soar Among Young Gay Men Hiv FROM PAGE 1 BY THE NUMBERS Rivera Mindt said she attributes u Approximately 1 in 70 New the specific rise of HIV infection in Yorkers is infected with HIV, young, Hispanic and black MSM to but the proportion of people the “patriarchy and machismo” in- in different groups who are herent in these cultures that some- infected varies widely: times prevents young gay men from admitting that they are homosexual. “Some African-American men 1 in 40 won’t say they’re gay—‘I have sex Black New Yorkers are infected. with men, but I’m not gay.’ There is a shame associated with [homosexu- ality], a lack of acceptance,” Rivera 1 in 25 Men living in Manhattan have HIV. Mindt said. “If they aren’t willing to admit that they are gay, they are talk- ing about it less…they are probably 1 in 12 less aware, and they aren’t taking the Black men age 40-49 have HIV. appropriate precautions.” Being “on the down low,” or on 1 in 10 the DL, is a term used in the Af- Men who have sex with men have HIV. rican-American community. “On the down low” refers to a man who 1 in 8 looks and acts straight, has sex with Injection drug users have HIV. women or is in a relationship with a woman but secretly also has sex with men, according to a 2003 New York 1 in 5 Times article. Black men age 40-49 in Manhattan A Craigslist search reveals copi- have HIV. ous personal ads placed in the New ELISSA EUBANKS/MCT York City area by “straight-acting DL The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported that between 2001 and 2006, the rate 1 in 4 guys,” or “homo thugs,” looking for of new HIV infections among Manhattan men under 30 who have sex with men has increased by 57 percent. Men who have sex with men in Chelsea men to have sex with. This increase has been especially pronounced in Hispanics and African-Americans. have HIV. “In the African-American com- Statistics courtesy of: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/ munity, men are placed with a lot of organization The Body. board member of FCLC’s Student drug use is fueling risky sexual be- html/ah/ah.shtml pressure to be dominant and strong,” “[A lot of] black men don’t use Organization of Latinos (SOL) and havior and damaging the health of said Cerise Adams, FCLC ’09, who protection. Some black women go editor-in-chief of SOL’s news publi- a population already vulnerable to conducted research on HIV patients along with it because they don’t cation, Dimelo. sexually transmitted diseases.” The and language that are culturally ac- at the SUNY Downstate Medi- want [their men] to leave them… Lazo, who considers himself bi- most popular drugs, according to the ceptable.” cal Center in Brooklyn alongside Some women suspect men are on the sexual, also said that homosexuality research, are ecstasy, cocaine, crystal Our generation may not have ex- Jayashree Ravishankar, a doctor who down low but they don’t have any is a “big taboo” in the Hispanic cul- meth and GHB.