Cultural Considerations Specific to the Black & Latino MSM Community
It goes deeper than crystal meth, sex, and support services.
This is about the impact of racism and homophobia that contribute to internalized stigma and challenges with building intimacy without drugs. It is about filling attachment voids. Recognizing the specific role that crystal meth plays in the sexual experiences of Black and Latino men who have sex with men is an essential aspect of providing resources and services that meet their needs.
“There is stigma around in the Black community about being gay, then there’s stigma about being on drugs, there’s stigma about HIV, there’s stigma all around.” — Black, South (Age 38)
“Not only is it super addicting, you have the component of sex, you have the component of… I mean I want to call it intimacy. We are seeking these momentary connections but they are based on the sex and the drugs. If the sex and the drugs aren’t there then you don’t really have that connection. I think a lot of guys get stuck because as gay/queer men it is hard for us to find acceptance. And I think there is a lot of lack of intimacy in generaal so I think a lot of guys get addicted to it and it becomes a crutch.” — Latino, West Coast (Age 26)
Risks for Black and Latino MSM are unique because of power dynamics at the intersection of race and class.
Their bodies are fetishized by white men, which gives white men the opportunity to exercise their power and access to resources and drugs in unequal and potentially dangerous ways over black and Latino MSM.
“This makes me think of the story of Ed Buck. Ed Buck is a politician and his victim was a Black male gay sex worker. Ed Buck is this liberal democratic politician who helped fund the Hillary Clinton campaign. He is a White, known, respected LGBT politician and he was caught in this scandal (involving) a young Black male sex worker… There was not that much media coverage and when I think of that I think of all the times where White men have that power and that access to elicit men like myself.” — Latino, West Coast (Age 26)
“It is very reflective of our social dynamics. I will say for myself that I had some memorable nights with white men and that is because they have their own homes, they have money and they usually have access to more partners… I don’t Identify as as a sex worker but I feel what I am doing is very transactional as well. I realize it’s more likely for me to go to someone’s house if they have a house, if they actually live in a nice house and they have drugs.” — Latino, West Coast (Age 26)
“What I’ve noticed in Atlanta, there’s a lot of White dealers and White people that have access to the drugs, and they may use the Black gay males to like, make money or prostitute them in their own way… It’s almost like the White person who has the drugs or the money or whatever is like the pimp and is pimping the Black guys a lot… you’ll have someone invite you to a place and it’s like, what’s really going on here?” — Black, South (Age 32)
“It’s like the White guys here, they love Black boys and [crystal meth] is they only they’ll be able to get them for free.” — Black, South (Age 38)
Ed Buck and Gemmel Moore
In 2017, reports that a well-known White politician named Ed Buck (age 63) was involved in a situation where a young Black man named Gemmel Moore (age 26) was invited to Buck’s home and subsequently died of an overdose. Ed Buck runs in LGBTQ politician circles and has a history of donating to democratic campaigns. Gemmel Moore was a queer black man experiencing homelessness and engaging in escort work. The original charges brought forth to Ed Buck were dropped and recently have been reopened as a result of advocacy on behalf of community members in Gemmel’s community.
Generally, people of color (POC) communities are under-resourced.
POC are disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity, job access, policing, health disparities, access to education, and access to culturally competent mental/behavioral health services. Further research should look at how crystal meth use has become a substitute for meaningful, loving, and vulnerable connection and attachment in male same gender loving singles and couples.
“Sometimes it’s just mental issues… specially Black men, we don’t have the support that we need, like that confidence. Not for someone to baby you along, but just someone to pick you up or mentor, someone you can look up to, like hope. To give us hope or just some things that are surrounded by us. We don’t have that.” — Black, South (Age 38)
“I think there is a difference in access to resources between White men and Black and Latino men, like stability and Black and Latino men have harder time, struggling with this reality. I have seen Latino men who are immigrants and don’t speak English fluently or they work more menial jobs, they are in their 30s or 40s and I think they are likely to get stuck in that scene. It is harder, when you don’t have resources or when you don’t have that knowledge that you can go seek help.” — Black, South (Age 35)
“We must not only focus on what we seek to reduce as in the context of reducing harm but also what we want to reinforce, inspire and build upon. What do we seek to proliferate and strengthen? Any programmatic or clinical response to supporting Black gay men who use crystal meth must be built upon our joy and pleasure. We must build upon the things that we find most sacred and the things that inspire not only resilience but agency. Community based organizations should have affirming images and messages spread throughout their spaces. There should be quotes by Essex Hemphill and Joseph Beam on the walls, two important Black gay artists that are critical figures in our movement history. There should be opportunities to not only share our most painful stories, but our most joyous and defiant ones as well. Service providers must understand Harm Reduction and HIV, but they must know something about the history and culture of the communities they are serving. This moves beyond cultural competence, and moves us toward a kind of cultural respect and literacy.” — Charles Stephens, The Counter Narrative Project