In the life: Culture-specific HIV communication programs designed for African American men who have sex with men

The purpose of this discussion is to describe and assess HN communication p rograms being used to reach African American men who have sex with men, a g roup that is being affected disproportionately by HIV/AIDS, particularly in large urban areas. The investigator examined HN communication programs use d in the four largest and oldest gay and African American AIDS service orga nizations in the Southeast and Northeast regions of the United States. The research project employed a qualitative case study approach to the study of communication that included three data collection methods: in-depth interv iews with educators and administrators, on-site observation of facilities a nd environment and collection of educational literature and policy reports on prevention programs. Effective strategies are identified that illustrate how educators are designing HN communication programs on the basis of comp lex cultural experiences of gender race and sexual orientation. However; wh ile this study finds that innovative, culture-specific programs are being u sed to reach African American men who have sex with men, issues of identity and discrimination continue to affect the overall reach of these efforts.