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Health Fair Targets Latinos With HIV/AIDS

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By CHERYL BENTLEY

The Suncoast News

Published: October 15, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - When Luis Gonzalez learned he had tested positive for HIV in 1988, he was devastated.

"I cried for weeks," he said. "Everyone I knew was dying."

His family's reaction to his disease didn't help. His mother threw him out of the house, telling him he was a disgrace to the family. At a family gathering, a relative brought a bottle of bleach and doused all of the dishes Gonzalez had used.

Two decades later, Gonzalez has full-blown AIDS and is estranged from about half of his family.

He has reconciled with his parents after a nine-year split from his mother and a 17-year break with his father.

Such reactions aren't uncommon in the Hispanic community, whether or not someone with HIV is gay.

"In the Latino family, the stigma of being gay and AIDS goes hand-in-hand," Gonzalez said.

To raise awareness, the Tampa Bay AIDS Network is organizing the Latinos United Conquering HIV/AIDS Health Fair today, the last day of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The event will run from noon to 8 p.m. in Cavalaire Square on Missouri Avenue, east of Grand Boulevard.

The health fair will include free and confidential testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases; medical referrals, representatives from the Pasco County Health Department, pharmaceutical companies and nutritionists, as well as local vendors offering free samples.

In the Latino community, HIV/AIDS is commonly regarded as a homosexual condition. That makes dealing with it especially difficult for HIV-positive heterosexual men, said Midhraid "Ray" Torres, a caseworker with Gulf Coast Community Care, the Tampa Bay AIDS Network's parent organization.

"For lots of Latinos, the fear of their families knowing is the fear of being shunned," he said.

Gay Latinos have it even worse.

"Being gay is bad enough, but being gay and HIV-positive is almost like being dirty," Torres said.

There is an urgent need to shine light on HIV and AIDS in the Latino community, Torres said. Latinos accounted for 19 percent of the new AIDS cases diagnosed in 2006, although they make up 15 percent of the population in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of new infections among Latinos was three times higher than among whites.

To educate the community, Tampa Bay AIDS runs an AIDS support group for Latinos and African-Americans, another group with high numbers of HIV and AIDS cases. It's one of the groups Gonzalez attends. People can get all kinds of information there, ranging from the latest AIDS drugs to tips on nutrition. The group has also become a place to develop camaraderie with others who have HIV or AIDS.

"What started out as an informative gathering has become an emotional gathering," Torres said.

Tampa Bay AIDS also runs a food pantry that feeds more than 400 individuals and families with HIV and AIDS, provides medical referrals, outreach and prevention services and HIV testing. All its services are free.

Although today's event coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month, it's not just for Latinos, Torres said.

"We hope the whole community benefits," Torres said. "HIV and AIDS touch the lives of everyone. Everybody has had either loved ones or friends or knows of someone who has had to deal with HIV and AIDS."

TO LEARN MORE

For information on HIV or AIDS, call Torres at (727) 816-1235, or visit Gulf Coast Community Care at 5744 Missouri Ave., New Port Richey.

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