The Positive Side of MASCULINE(ity)

How the Center is helping to protect L.A.’s young gay men of color 

Beginning in April, hundreds of young HIV-positive Latino and African-American men will make a difference in their communities by participating in an ambitious and groundbreaking $7 million study supported by the Center. It’s led by the University of California, Los Angeles and known as Project MASCULINE, which stands for “MSM and Substances Cohort at UCLA Linking Infections Noting Effects.”

As the study’s community partner, the Center is responsible for recruiting 
540 HIV-positive Latino and African-American men who are substance abusers and have sex with men (MSM). The UCLA Vine Street Clinic will recruit 540 high-risk HIV-negative participants. 

“The selection of the Center as one of two community-based research sites really speaks to the quality of our Clinical Research Program,” says Risa Flynn, the Center’s Health Services Research Program Manager. “More and more academic and government institutions are recognizing that the Center is an essential
research partner for studies in L.A. that involve HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, particularly rigorous, complex clinical trials.” 

The five-year study, which is supported by a grant from the National Institute on 
Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health, will examine the lives and habits 
of the men in these minority groups, especially their uses of alcohol and 
non-injected drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamines. The results may 
determine how the participants’ actions affect HIV transmission and the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs in their immune systems.

The alarmingly high HIV infection rate among Latino and African-American gay and bisexual men, compared to other ethnic groups, speaks to the need for this study.  

• Of the gay and bisexual Latino men who tested for HIV at the Center last year, nearly 5 percent tested positive.

• Of the gay and bisexual African-American men who were tested at the Center last year, 6 percent were HIV-positive. 

• By comparison, only 3 percent of the Caucasian gay and bisexual men the Center tested last year were HIV-positive. 

“The rate of new HIV infections among Latino and African-American men who have sex with men continues to be a huge concern,” says Dustin Kerrone, Director of the Center’s Sexual Health Program.  “We've got to better understand their risk factors and that’s why studies like this, to help inform our outreach programs, are are so important.” 

Do you or someone you know, want to participate in this study? Contact Risa Flynn at rflynn@lagaycenter.org.

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