New York Times Misses the Boat on Young MSM HIV Story

In what seems like a space-filler on a slow news day, the New York Times reported yesterday that HIV rates among gay men under the age of 30 are on the rise.

Why do I say it must have been a slow news day? This data was issued in a press release by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on September 11, 2007. The NYT story, which was the front page of yesterday's Metro section, appeared nearly three months later. In any case, here's the main info from the Times:

"The number of new H.I.V. infections in men under 30 who have sex with men has increased sharply in New York City in the last five years, particularly among blacks and Hispanics, even as AIDS deaths and overall H.I.V. infection rates in the city have steadily declined.

New figures from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene show that the annual number of new infections among black and Hispanic men who have sex with men rose 34 percent between 2001 and 2006, and rose for all men under 30 who have sex with men by 32 percent."

The story goes further to point out some of the reasons people think that the rates of HIV infection for young MSMs in increasing while dropping overall for MSMs. They cite lots of issues given by the health department like "higher rates of drug use among younger men, which can fuel dangerous sex practices, optimism among them that AIDS can be readily treated, and a growing stigma about H.I.V. among gays that keeps some men from revealing that they are infected."

Council Speaker (and out lesbian) Christine Quinn said to the NY Times "It leaves us a little bit scratching our heads: What is it that is going on? Something clearly is not working, and it’s literally about life or death.”

Why is there so much head-scratching down at City Hall? The NYC Council itself commissioned a study of homelessness and LGBT Youth in NYC, which was released in mid-DECEMBER, showing at least one-third of all homeless youth in New York City are LGBTQ. The links between homelessness and HIV risk have been documented dozens of times over the years. What don't they understand? And why did the NYT story only choose to cover the "individual behaviors" that may have led to HIV infection in the young men they profile, especially when this report on homelessness was already highly publicized before this story went to print?

They missed an opportunity to put this data into context, and instead further stigmatized young (especially Black and Latino) gay men.