Gay Community Involvement in HIV and STD Prevention: Where We Have Been, Where We Are, and Where We Should be Going

Abstract

In the USA, gay and bisexual men, other men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender persons were initially, and continue to be, profoundly affected by the HIV Early in the pandemic, there was little political motivation in the larger mainstream community to act against an emerging pandemic that some referred to in a derogatory manner as the “gay plague.” Thus, some of the most innovative and successful HIV prevention and prevention-research efforts sprang from the creativity of gay men and their allies. Community partnerships of community leaders, community members, advocates and activists, and researchers emerged and provided needed care; initiated community-based educational and prevention programs; advocated for both drug development and expedited drug trials; and developed, implemented, and evaluated prevention strategies in the community. Simply, gay men wanted to provide the needed support and care to friends, neighbors, and other community members who were infected with and affected by HIV. In this chapter, we (1) review the role gay men and their allies have played in HIV-prevention research and practice over time as it relates to community-based participatory research (CBPR) today, (2) review the roots and development of CBPR to identify its relevance and place in the present, and (3) point to new directions or courses for social action, community-based prevention, and applications of CBPR to prevent HIV among gay and bisexual men, MSM, and transgender persons.