A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

MSM

How Much Do We Value Black Gay Men? 

For decades, Bayard Rustin has been one of the least known, yet prolific, contributors to the civil rights movement. Rustin served as the brains behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, managing to coordinate and promote the event in just two months. But, as a gay man, Rustin was kept in the shadows by the homophobia of both his enemies and his allies at the time.

Prevention

Facebook Chats Prompt At-Risk Minority Men to Get HIV Tests 

It didn't take long for people to figure out that Facebook could be a great place to connect with other people dealing with the same health problems. But public health officials have moved cautiously, lest their efforts backfire. Do you really want to "like" STDs?

Science

Drug Design Success Propels Efforts to Fight HIV with a Combination of 2 FDA-Approved Drugs 

Aug 30, 2013 - A University of Minnesota research team featuring researchers from the Institute for Molecular Virology, School of Dentistry and Center for Drug Design has developed a new delivery system for a combination of two FDA approved drugs that may serve as an effective treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Synthetic Polymer Could Stop the Spread of HIV 

Sep 3, 2013 - A precisely designed macromolecule that mimics the binding of HIV to immune system cells could be used to stop the virus from physically entering the body according to a new study led by a materials scientist at Queen Mary University of London.

Miscellaneous

50 Years after 'Dream.' Loose Ends are Left Untied 

Advocates are trying to reduce the gap in health disparities between African-Americans, white Americans.

For People in the Gap, Health Insurance Exchange Won't Help 

In a twist that wasn't intended by the authors of the federal Affordable Care Act, most of Missouri's poorest, working-age residents - those under age 65 and below the poverty line of $11,490 for an individual and $15,510 for a couple - aren't eligible for government help.

Governors Buck Republican Party on Health Care Reform Law 

DES MOINES, Iowa - Despite unrelenting pressure by congressional Republicans to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, GOP governors in swing-voting states are grudgingly bowing to the reality that "Obamacare" is the law of the land and almost certainly here to stay.

Health Care Signup Faces Rocky Road in Florida 

Enrollment workers must scramble to reach uninsured.

How Will the Obamacare Mandate Impact You? 

The federal health law's individual mandate, one of the key building blocks of the insurance overhaul, remains controversial as the October start date approaches for enrolling in new online marketplaces. Individuals who don't get insurance through work will shop for insurance on these websites for policies that will take effect in January.

Here are some basic questions and answers about mandate.

Underrepresentation in HIV studies Not Due to Conspiracy Theories 

Even though most Americans believe some kind of conspiracy theory about HIV care and research, many are willing to take part in vaccine trails, according to a new study¹ by Ryan Westergaard of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, published in Springer's Journal of General Internal Medicine². The study found no link between distrust in medical research and willingness to participate in related studies. Westergaard and his team asked 601 Chicago residents at various shopping centers to voluntarily complete a set of 235 questions. The survey group purposely included an almost equal number of white, Mexican American and African American participants. The participants were quizzed about how much they agreed with six known HIV-conspiracy beliefs, their general trust in medical research and their willingness to volunteer for HIV-vaccine research trials.

ViiV Healthcare Expands HIV/AIDS Community Support In Hard-Hit Southern U.S. 

Positive Action Southern Initiative expands into two additional states and renews funding for current network organizations, bringing total funding for grassroots projects to more than 2.3 million to date.