By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

Public officials and community activists gathered Feb. 19 at Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club, 3700 N. Halsted, to hear an update on a community initiative assessing risks facing young men who have sex with men and designating prevention strategies that address them.

Connect to Protect is an National Institutes of Health initiative created to build community-based HIV prevention in urban areas. Chicago has two Connect to Protect locations—the first, focusing on HIV risks and prevention strategies for young women of color, is based at Stroger Hospital, while the other, studying gay and bisexual men ages 12-24, is a collaborative effort between Children’s Memorial Hospital and Howard Brown Health Center. The latter study was the focus of the Feb. 19 presentation.

Dr. Robert Garofalo, of Howard Brown Health Center, said that Connect to Protect marked the first time the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has supported research focusing on young gay men.

“We should be embarrassed that it has taken this long,” Garofalo said. “The gay community, in many ways, should be embarrassed as well.”

The study focuses on young gay and bisexual men who congregate around the North Halsted Street area, according to Garofalo. These youth, he said, deal with the same developmental issues that all adolescents do, but within a context of limited social support.

A number of the youths had engaged in risky sexual behaviors. Forty-four percent had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse and 50 percent had engaged in anal intercourse while high. Thirteen percent had used crystal meth, while 23 percent had episodes of binge drinking.

Akel Robinson of Children’s Memorial Hospital said the next step of the study would be to bring together different community groups and organizations into a coalition that can implement a sustainable HIV prevention and intervention module that lasts indefinitely.

The coalition members, he said, have to agree on a mission that ultimately benefits young gay and bi men, not just reinforces the missions of their various organizations.

“The problem is everyone is doing their own thing…(because) everyone has very limited time,” Robinson said. “(But) In order to have culture adaptation, you have to deal with the bigger picture.”

He outlined a number of issues that the coalition would have to address eventually, citing stigma as one example.

“If they don’t feel safe, (the young men) are more likely to engage in unsafe behavior,” Robinson said.

He said a “clear vision” was what would be needed for meaningful outcomes, and that “it’s not really doing anything unless there’s some kind of plan so you can move forward.”