In This Issue

Nowhere in this country is HIV growing faster among Black gay and bisexual men than in the South, which also has some of the nation's highest infection rates. Here, writer April Eugene lays out 8 issues that must be addressed to reduce our nation's "southern exposure".

San Francisco city supervisor Scott Wiener has publicly announced that he is taking PrEP, writing in the Huffington Post: "After all these years, we still see enormous stigma, shame, and judgment around HIV, and around sexuality in general. That is precisely why I decided to be public about my choice: to contribute to a larger dialogue about our community's health." The Black AIDS Institute supports Wiener's choice and looks forward to continuing our conversations about biomedical interventions in Black communities as we conduct our AIDS 2014 Hubs with Black Treatment Advocate Networks nationwide.

As college students settle in to their dorms and become responsible for the first time for their own well-being, our friends at AIDS.gov talk about HIV on college campuses and opportunities to use social media for HIV prevention, particularly at HBCUs. AIDS.gov also talks about the launch of HIV Treatment Works, the CDC's first national communication campaign focused exclusively on encouraging treatment and care for PLWHA.

Finally, we invite you to join us tomorrow, Wednesday, October 1st, when The Black AIDS Institute convenes an all-day National Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) meeting immediately prior to the USCA. We look forward to seeing you there!

Yours in the struggle,

Phill