A brief introduction to an integrated center for care and supportive services.

1. An introduction to Gay Men of African Descent, Inc.
Vaughn E. Taylor-Akutagawa Deputy Executive Director

2. In 1986, Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) was conceptualized in New York City by The Reverend Charles Angel, who embarked on a mission to empower the black gay men.
•As the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to serving the needs of Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, GMAD is committed to fighting HIV/AIDS in communities of color in New York City.
Monday, April 30, 2012
developed by Imhetep Solutions for Gay Men of African Descent, Inc.
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3. Our Mission
•GMAD’s mission is to empower gay men of African-descent through education, advocacy, health and wellness promotion and social support.
•This is done by being a FRIEND
•Flexibility in daily interactions
•Respect for every individual
•Integrity through communication
•Empathy and compassion
•Networking and cooperation
•Dependability in professional performance
•This is the cornerstone of our relationship with the city, its communities , neighborhoods and our constituents.
developed by Imhetep Solutions for Gay Men of African Descent, Inc.
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4. GMAD’s programs targeting Black Gay Men/MSM or Gay Men of Color
•IDI
▫Recruitment/program promotion
▫HIV/STI CTR, PCRS
▫Ind. Psychotherapy
▫CLEAR-CRCS
▫EIS/case-finding
▫Linkage to Care
▫Self-management
•IDG
▫Group Psychotherapy
▫Manual guided interventions
▫Treatment Education
•Supplemental Food Pantry
•Drop-In Ctr.
•CLI
▫Community Mobilization
▫Youth Development
•SLI
▫Advocacy
▫Rallies
•Staff Development
▫Syndemics
▫Syndromic Case Mgmt.
▫Strength-based Case Mgmt.
▫Ecological Models
▫MISAVAH Syndemic orientation
▫ACT Model
developed by Imhetep Solutions for Gay Men of African Descent, Inc.
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5. The HIV Prevention Effective Behavioral or Home Grown Intervention(s) Implemented By the Organization
Effective Behavioral Interventions
•Healthy Relationships
•D’Up
•Mpowerment
•RESPECT
•Safety Counts
•3MV
•CTR/RT
•Seeking Safety (NREPP)
•HHRP (Holistic Health Recovery Project)
•Matrix Model
Home Grown Interventions
•Healthy Minds
•Brothas Gonna Work It Out
•Strengths-based case management
•Building Healthy Relationships
developed by Imhetep Solutions for Gay Men of African Descent, Inc.
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6. Gay, Bi and other MSM or SAM
There is no typical gay, lesbian or bisexual person. Individuals come from different races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures. There are seven variables of sexual orientation:
attraction
behavior,
fantasies,
emotional preference,
social preference,
lifestyle, and
self-identification.
(sexual identity v. gender identity; gender assignment – Dr. Andre Rawls, PhD, JD)
Imhotep Solutions - propietary & confidential (09/2003)
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7. Our approach
•The Sexually Active Men (SAM) paradigm was designed to focus special attention on solving a growing public health problem as well as to develop and improve the capacity of minority community based organizations to more effectively serve their communities.
•This approach was tailored to yield innovative and successful strategies specifically targeted to the highest risk and hardest to service populations, which for the past two decades have eluded more traditional HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and education efforts.
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8. Sexually Active Men
S.A.M. is more than specious typology for men who have sex with men and women. It is a candid and heuristic exploration into male sexuality.
Male sexuality is not homogenous and is not solely defined by behavior.
The S.A.M. model is an initial investigation into the meanings and motivations of sexual expression for men – particularly African American men.
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9. Circles of Sexuality
Figure 6.1

10. Your Sexual Identity
•Sexual identity – the recognition and acknowledgement of oneself as a sexual being, is determined by a complex interaction of genetic, physiological, environmental, and social factors.
•There are lots of gays/lesbians
•Kinsey Report pegs 10% of the population as being gay. 6-7% openly identify themselves as gay/lesbian
• higher concentrations of gays (12%) in large urban areas.

11. Gender
•Socialization
•Gender identity
•Gender role
•Androgyny
•Transgendered

12. Sexual Orientation
•Heterosexual
•Homosexual
•Bisexual
•Transsexual

13. Culture is Critical To Enhancing The Effectiveness of Prevention Efforts
•Culture is not just a word; it is a process by which ordinary activities acquire emotional and moral meaning for participants. (unknown)
•Culture and values significantly influence our views of health and well-being. Culture and language have considerable impact on how patients access and respond to health care services. Culture gives meaning to health communication. Health literacy must be understood and addressed in the context of culture and language.
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14. Risk as an Individual Factor
Risk Behavior
Information / Perceived Risk
Skills
Motivation / Intentions

15. Risk as a Contextual Factor
Risk Behavior
Oppressive Social Factors
High Risk Situations
Psychological Impact of Oppression

16. Explaining HIV Risk as an Outcome of Social Discrimination
HIV Risk
Behavior
Social Discrimination
• Homophobia
• Racism
• Poverty
?

17. Psychological
Distress
Explaining HIV Risk as an Outcome of Social Discrimination
HIV Risk Behavior
Social Discrimination
• Homophobia
• Racism
• Poverty
Difficult
Sexual
Situations
Denotes mediator
Díaz, R.M., Ayala, G., Bein, E., (2004). Sexual Risk as an Outcome of Social Oppression: Data from a probability sample of Latino gay men in three US cities. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.10(3): 255-267.

18. Resiliency Factors: What helps AA gay men be strong, safe and healthy
Family Acceptance
• Experienced acceptance from mother and/or father
• Able to speak openly with at least one family member
Social and Sexual Satisfaction
• Satisfaction with friendships and lover relationships
• Satisfaction with sex life
Social/Political Network & Activism
• Feeling part of a social network of similar people
• Involvement in promotion of gay/Latino rights
Gay Role Model in Childhood
• Older gay friends or relatives to look up to as a child

19. Psychological
Distress
Explaining HIV Risk as an Outcome of Social Discrimination
HIV Risk
Behavior
Social Discrimination
• Homophobia
• Racism
• Poverty
Difficult Sexual Situations
Social Isolation & Low Self-Esteem
Resiliency
Denotes mediator
Díaz, R.M., Ayala, G., Bein, E, Henne, J. and Marin, B.V. (2001) The Impact of Homophobia, Poverty and Racism on the Mental Health of Gay and Bisexual Latino Men: Findings from 3 U.S. Cities. American Journal of Public Health, 91(6):927-932.

20. Understanding Risk in Prevention Work
•Consider “risk” as a property of contexts and situations, rather than an individual characteristic
•Prevention must address situational factors that make safer sex difficult, not only individual factors that can promote risk (loneliness, substance use and low self esteem)
•Service providers and researchers must be sensitive to the complex relationships between sexual behavior, orientation, identity and gender for all groups.

21. The Envy of the World…
“I mean, I don’t know what the fuss is about. I mean, everything in the world loves you. White men love you. They spend too much time worrying about your penis they forget their own… And white women? They chase you all to every corner of the earth, feel for you under every bed… Colored women worry themselves into bad health just trying to hang on to your cuffs. Even little children – white and black boys and girls – spend all their childhood eating their hearts out ‘cause they think you don’t love them. And if that ain’t enough, you love yourselves. Nothing in the world loves a black man more than another black man… It looks like you the envy of the world.”
-from Sula, A novel by Toni Morrison
Imhotep Solutions - proprietary & confidential (09/2003)
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