FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2019
Adam Polaski | 610.306.7956 | adam@southernequality.org
As World AIDS Day Approaches, Largest Data Set on LGBTQ Southerners’ Health Experiences Highlights High Rates of HIV and Low Frequency of HIV Testing
Researchers, medical providers, and LGBTQ people living with HIV in the South are available to speak with reporters ahead of December 1’s international acknowledgment of World AIDS Day.
ASHEVILLE, NC – On December 1 the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) and Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS) will acknowledge World AIDS Day, an annual day dedicated to supporting those who are living with HIV, honoring those who have died from an AIDS-related illness, and committing to efforts to fight HIV worldwide.
In the South, the day has a particular significance because this region is the epicenter of the modern HIV crisis in the United States. According to 2016- 2017 CDC data, one-half of all HIV diagnoses occur in the South, 47% of HIV related deaths happened in the South, and 46% of people living with HIV live in the South.
Released just weeks ago, The Report of the 2019 Southern LGBTQ Health Survey, provides a groundbreaking breadth and depth of data on the health and health care experiences – including HIV – of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the Southern United States. With 5,617 participants, the 2019 Southern LGBTQ Health Survey is one of the largest samples ever of LGBTQ Southerners talking specifically about their health.
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