Sex and the Diaspora

The Face of HIV
By Renee B.

As of today, according to UNAIDS, the Caribbean region is second in the prevalence of HIV cases in the world, following Sub Saharan Africa! Already, reading that first line has prompted many of you to abort reading the remainder of this article and find a happy place in your minds where that chilling fact cannot find you. Who can blame you? This tragedy is nothing short of heart wrenching; no one wants to associate a paradise represented by beautiful people, rich culture, and amazing vibes with this pathological beast from hell. This story has grown in the media before our eyes into a full-blown social crisis in the Islands in the past decade. Granted, the media has their way of sensationalizing stories, making it cumbersome to determine fact from fiction, but this information is very real--whether we like how it's presented or not. Still, the dialogue about HIV in our community is not as prevalent as it could or should be, leaving too many people in the dark and at risk of this grave disease. Here we are, in the midst of a social health crisis, and no one wants to talk about it? A phenomenon like this is more than likely attributed to old habits...and old habits die hard.

The Caribbean (or a large percentage of it), is and has been outwardly homophobic since... well forever. That is not news. It also goes without saying that MSM account for substantial percentages of HIV cases in the Windies. More often than not, Caribbean men who have sex with men (MSM) live their scorned lifestyles in the shadows, often maintaining a surface "heterosexual" lifestyle complete with wives and girlfriends to cover their tracks. Two of Jamaica's most prominent gay activists, Brian Williamson and Steve Harvey, were both murdered in cold blood for their involvement with the gay community a few years ago. In light of all of this, it's not surprising that men with HIV may resist openly admitting to having the virus for fear of being stigmatized as an MSM and further for fear of legal persecution, social dissociation and violent repercussions. These in-the-closet MSM clutch their freedom and lives tightly, only to become prisoners of lies and victims to the disease. Even worse, they pass the disease on to their unsuspecting women. Far be it from me to order a change in values, but everyone loses at the game we are playing. At some point, a decision must be made between "what has always been" and "what is best for the community."

While everyone associated with the face of HIV is a victim in one way or another, I can't help but be deeply saddened about how Caribbean women are uniquely abused in this nightmare. We are abused in the respect that we are too frequently without the one privilege that could save our lives and others: Choice. We do not have the choice to avoid being exposed to the virus, because our husbands and boyfriends whom we trust so much are living with the virus and either don't know or simply will not tell. We are in the year 2008, and women still do not always have the choice of using condoms during sex. This is a sad reflection of the still unbalanced power allocation between men and women. Worst of all, infected pregnant women don't always have the choice of not passing the virus onto their unborn children--children, who have less choice than anyone. The end result is our mothers of the Earth, the queens to the kings, the very beings that make up the fiber of this man's world are subjected to being carriers of this vile disease that threatens our lives.

Life right now seems to be changing at a rate beyond our understanding, beyond our control. From the global economy in dire straits to the environment seemingly fighting against us, there aren't many things in the material world that we can bank on any longer. But when there isn't a penny left on Earth, and the oceans have dried up and the flowers have all withered, we will still have Us. Us, an all-inclusive package of love, family, humanity, and spirit! And to have Us, we must nurture Us. With so much up in the air, there is no better time than now to re-think our old habits that have done us more harm than good. HIV is very, very real and with no cure in sight, we are officially in battle mode. You're in this battle whether you are infected or not. Now you must figure out who you are fighting for.

(Renee B. is a is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine and writes about social issues and sexuality, from her perspective. For comments, please feel free to contact her at renee@islandvibesmag.com.)