‘Do you know
who is most at risk? Young gay black men. Men like me. In fact – one in two gay
black men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime if current rates
continue’
Daniel D.
Driffin is the co-founder of Thrive SS, a non-profit organization that,
according to its Facebook page, ‘offers support, advocacy through community
mobilization and improved health equity to those living and THRIVING with HIV.’
He is also a
co-founder of Undetectables Atlanta, another HIV group for gay/bisexual men,
and the co-chair of the Task Force to End AIDS in Fulton County, Georgia.
He addressed
the conference yesterday afternoon. Below is a transcript of his speech, and
you can also watch it below.
‘Good
afternoon. I live in Atlanta, Georgia and I serve as the co-founder of Thrive
SS.
‘Together with
more than one million Americans, I am living with HIV. When the HIV/AIDS
epidemic first emerged in the 1980’s, I was not born yet. It was a mysterious
virus, then a deadly one too. It seemed to be picking off gay men one by one,
especially Black and Latino.
‘The community
spoke out so that policymakers would take notice. And while summoning their
voices, Hillary Clinton listened. She advocated for the increased funding for
prevention and research as first lady, and then worked to increase the funding
in the senate. She defended the Ryan White Care Act and expanded research in
testing and education.
‘As secretary
of state, Hillary helped to ensure that 6.7 million people around the world got
access to antiretroviral therapy. And she cracked down on the stigma around the
virus and helped lift the travel ban with the help of the congressional black
caucus, which presented people with HIV/AIDS from entering the country.
‘The number of
new HIV/AIDS diagnoses is on the decline in the US by nearly 20% over the last
decade for certain populations.
‘We know how to
prevent the virus now. We know how to diagnose the virus now. We know how to
treat it and we know how to suppress it. We have learned all about it within my
lifetime. But still, there are many living with HIV.
‘And do you
know who is most at risk? Young gay black men. Men like me. In fact —one in two
gay black men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime if current rates
continue. If we have enough data, I’m sure black transgender women are more at
risk too.
‘What can we do
to fight HIV/AIDS today? We invest in research and education; expand treatment
and prevention. And we elect Hillary Clinton.
‘With Hillary
Clinton as our president, I believe that we can meet our goals of an AIDS free
generation. As an organizer, as a black man, as a gay man, and as a man living
with HIV, I ask you to go get tested—then go and vote. Thank you.’
Earlier this
year, the Centre
for Disease Control issued findings of an analysis concluding that if
current rates persist, half of all black man who have sex with men will test
HIV positive in their lifetime, and one quarter of Latino gay men.
Poz
magazine says that the selection of Driffin as a speaker came
after HIV activists met with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in May to
discuss issues around HIV prevention and treatment.
Activists had
previously criticized Clinton for her praise of former First Lady, Nancy Reagan
at the time of her death. Clinton had applauded Reagan for her ‘low-key
advocacy’ and for helping to start a conversation around AIDS. Clinton later
apologized.
‘We have to
implement better policies around testing and access to care’
In a statement
to GSN, Driffin said, ‘My life is changed!’ when asked how the experience of
speaking at the conference had been.
He said he had
been nervous for ‘1.5 seconds when the TelePrompTer didn’t move,’ at the
beginning of his speech, ‘but I paused and it caught up.
‘I had the
chance to speak from my heart about the lives of LGBTQQI people. We have
everything we need to end HIV infections in the United States with increased access
to ARVs for people living with HIV and PrEP for people at risk for HIV.
‘It is not
OK to live in this country and black gay men face a 50% chance of
contracting HIV in their lifetime. We have to implement better policies around
testing and access to care for those most affected.’
A very eloquent speaker with a very critical message. I watched his presentation through captioning and was impressed. Thanks for publishing the transcript here. Love and naked hugs, my bare friend!
ReplyDelete