News Finding: It found that many participants attributed their ability to stay HIV negative to a strong sense of religious and spiritual identity, social support from friends and family, and social engagement with other HIV-negative black MSM in safe spaces.
Paper Finding: Because Black MSM have the highest rate of HIV, a diverse network could lower the risk of selecting an HIV positive partner.
News Context: Understanding how black gay and bisexual men are able to remain negative -- despite being constantly labeled "high risk" for or "vulnerable" to HIV by public health researchers and health care providers alike -- might provide us a roadmap for how to achieve better health outcomes and ultimately end the AIDS epidemic. It found that many participants attributed their ability to stay HIV negative to a strong sense of religious and spiritual identity, social support from friends and family, and social engagement with other HIV-negative black MSM in safe spaces. The study noted the need to provide safe social spaces for black gay and bisexual men to engage around HIV prevention and the need to incorporate HIV prevention messages into religious/spiritual contexts.
Paper Context: Having a racially and ethnically diverse social network could lead to more a diverse pool of partners. Because Black MSM have the highest rate of HIV, a diverse network could lower the risk of selecting an HIV positive partner. Nine of 29 (31%) participants explicitly mentioned having a diverse social network that includes men and women of differing racial/ ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations.