Can a Hollywood Movie Actually Prevent HIV?

Cover Story:
http://www.hivplusmag.com/prevention/2015/08/17/movie-stars-and-athletes-say-blacklivesmatter-means-stopping-hiv

The entire team behind the film Blackbird thinks so. They’ve joined forces with Alabama’s largest AIDS organization to talk about the world’s first HIV prevention pill and to break the silence that is literally killing young black gay and bisexual men

(LOS ANGELES)
For its September/October 2015 cover story, Plus magazine covers the new initiative from the cast and crew of the film Blackbird. The creative team has teamed up with AIDS Alabama to bring awareness to an epidemic that disproportionality affects the African-American community – especially black gay and bisexual men. Plus talks to former football star Wade Davis, Academy Award winner Mo’Nique, actors Julian Walker and Gary L. Gray, and producer Keith Brown about the coalition they have formed through Blackbird and AIDS Alabama called PrEP Up Alabama to educate and provide resources to the community.

Blackbird addresses the alarming fact that black gay and bisexual men are vulnerable to the stigma of homophobia within their community. Many are left to battle discrimination and homophobia without traditional support networks like church, family, and community, and the result, experts say, is the perfect storm for a health crisis. Young gay and bisexual African-American men bear the terrible brunt of the HIV epidemic today. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that this group has more than twice the rate of new HIV infections as white or Latino men in the same age range. At the current rate of HIV infection, a black gay or bisexual man has a 66% chance of being HIV-positive by the time he turns 40.

The filmmakers and actors hope this new partnership will raise awareness on the issue. “Someone of a Mo’Nique stature, to use their platform to have these hard conversations in a very public way? Hopefully that will spark another person to think that they should educate themselves on the issue,” says Wade Davis, the former pro football player and PrEP Up Alabama ambassador.

Racism, poverty, and homophobia are key factors in this epidemic. So how does society even begin to address such entrenched problems? One major tool is media. Blackbird is an ambitious and far-reaching film, insofar as it takes on issues that few, if any, other Hollywood projects are talking. Homophobia among African-Americans, the so-called down-low culture, interracial relationships, abortions, the hypocrisy or religious leaders, and the plight of missing black children are among the hot-button issues addressed.

Gary L. Gray says he learned a lot from the film and hopes that others will do the same. The film, he says, takes a strong stand against “the fear that comes along with coming out, being free,” the same fear that “causes things like health to be overlooked in many cases.” He also thinks it’s important for the public to remember that “HIV is not just a gay issue, it is an issue.”

Those behind Blackbird are hoping PrEP Up Alabama will also educate the public about the new medications and treatments available. “There’s no reason – no logical reason – for the infection rates of gay black men to still be as high as they are,” notes director Patrik-Ian Polk, whose other projects include Noah’s Arc and Punks. “The medical advancements are there…we just need to make them more widely known and more widely available.”

Additional September/October Issue Content Includes:

• The Missing Generation – Years of research, dozens of survivors, and a dance troupe bring to life the stories of trans women and gay men who lived through the AIDS epidemic.
• Not a Unicorn — He’s poz and trans, but Teo Drake wants you to know he’s not alone.
• How to Date an HIV-Negative Guy — Your status isn’t the only one that matters.
  
  Read Plus’ full September/October 2015 cover story now at: http://www.hivplusmag.com/prevention/2015/08/17/movie-stars-and-athletes-say-blacklivesmatter-means-stopping-hiv