June 2003

75th General Convention: A021 : HIV/AIDS: Broadening HIV Prevention Methods.

[Words in brackets are those that were deleted from the original text before the resolution passed.]

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That The Episcopal Church, through its General Convention, call upon its [African-American] members and its congregations [with larger populations of African-Americans] to take the lead in insuring that all methods used to prevent the spread of HIV are taught in school curricula, Church School curricula and in other educational settings. [Educational efforts shall be intentionally directed toward the prevention of HIV among men who have sex with other men.]

Explanation attached to the original resolution:

HIV infection continues to rise at alarming rates in the African-American community. The most prevalent route of transmission of HIV in women is from men who have sex with men to their female sexual partners. There is great reluctance in the African-American community to discuss this phenomenon. It is referred to by such code names as “on the down low” or “on the DL,” reflecting the unwillingness to discuss the subject openly and honestly. The stigma associated with AIDS and the reluctance to discuss matters of human sexuality greatly hinder prevention education efforts.