On this #NBHAAD, Karl sits with Dr. Shanell McGoy and Lashanda Salinas to discuss rising infection rates in the South, why HIV needs to be discussed in communities of color, and what we can do to end the epidemic right now.
Change the Pattern info can be found here.
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The following is a transcript between Dr. McGoy, Lashanda, and Karl
LASHANDA
Undetectable, untransmittable.
KARL
Hello there, welcome to “Plus Talk” on Plus Life, where we’re all about turning positive into a plus. Black HIV AIDS Awareness Day is here. And we’re talking all about it today. My guests, Dr. Shanell McGoy. She’s the Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility for Gilead Sciences. And our friend Lashanda Salinas, a person living with HIV, and an advocate. Nice to see you both. Thank you for joining me.
DR. MCGOY
Thank you for having us.
LASHANDA
Thank you for having me.
KARL
Of course. Dr. McGoy, I’m gonna start with you. Let’s just get straight to it. Why do Black folks still need to be talking about HIV and normalizing the conversation around HIV?
DR. MCGOY
Absolutely. We need to still be talking about HIV in the Black community because we have not ended the epidemic. HIV is something that is disproportionately impacting Black Americans and Black people across the globe, quite frankly. And especially when you look at geographic disparities, especially in the southern United States. The southern United States represent about half of new HIV diagnoses in the United States, but only about a third of the US population. And so when you look at geographic and racial disparities, we see that Black people are greatly impacted, even more than other populations in the southern United States. So the conversation needs to continue until we end the epidemic.
KARL
Now, doc, you’ve had 25 years experience in fighting, especially for health equity, especially as you’ve said there, in the South. What gives you hope that we are making at least some progress?
DR. MCGOY
Yeah, absolutely. What gives me hope is that we are breaking down walls around stigma. We are also addressing many of the social determinants of health that exist. When we talk about things like poverty and housing and education and jobs, those and healthcare systems, we’re slowly chipping away so that people can have greater access and those things give me hope. What also gives me hope is the Gilead Compass Initiative, which is a 10year, $100 million commitment from Gilead Sciences to address HIV in the southern United States. We are six years into this 10year commitment and we have partners all across the US south who are working to address HIV. In fact, we have about 3,000 partnerships, and have funded more than 400 communitybased organizations to really address HIV at the intersections. We’re doing more than talking and raising awareness. We’re addressing things like, like I said, like housing and making sure that people have access, breaking down systems so that they can have access to care that they need.
KARL
Lashanda, talk to me about your experience living with HIV and how you viewed, in the early days, sort of before you discovered your diagnosis. How did you view seeking testing and care and treatment?
LASHANDA
I actually feared going to get tested because it’s always in the back of my head. Oh my God, what if I become positive? What am I gonna do? I don’t want nobody to know. And if I do let it out, people are gonna judge me. ‘Cause in those days, there wasn’t a lot of education about it. And it was just, you’re positive, nobody wants to be around you, because you’re infected. And that was hard.
KARL
So that being in the back of your head was something that stopped you from getting tested and talking about it?
LASHANDA
Yes, it did. It stopped me from getting tested. I got tested one time, which I was negative, so I decided that I wasn’t gonna do it anymore. ‘Cause at those times, you couldn’t be discreet about it. Everybody, you go to the health department, everybody knew. “Okay, well she’s coming to get tested for HIV, let’s not be around her.”
KARL
Doctor, how do we change that? Because that’s the biggest and number one hurdle and step, right, is getting through those clinic doors, or ordering that hometest kit. How do we overcome that step?
DR. MCGOY
Let me tell you something. Lashanda is one of my sheroes, and I am so honored to be on here with her. She has been through so much and has faced it with so much courage and pride and has stood up and now is representing so many people who are still dealing with this issue. And she’s exactly right. What we say is that there are three things about these laws that were created in the late 80s, early 90s, out of fear, really, based in fear, rooted in fear. And so we say that they’re outdated because the medicine has advanced, science has advanced. We know that “U Equals U.” We also know that these laws are ineffective, just as she said that they discourage people from getting tested or even disclosing their status. And the third thing is that they’re discriminatory. When we talk about National HIV AIDS Awareness Day for Black communities, these laws are discriminatory, and impact Black, Brown, people living with HIV as well as the LGBTQ community. And so when we think about these laws, they need to go. They’re outdated, they need to come off the books for sure. And some states, we’re modernizing these laws.
KARL
Yeah, exactly. Lashanda, the “U Equals U” message we talked about, as the doctor just said, undetectable equals untransmittable. It’s come a long way in the last few years. The science is there. But what do you think needs to change to really drive the message in the southern states, especially amongst Black people?
LASHANDA
I would say, the doctors need to really enforce that. You need to get education on that too. And just know “U Equals U” is exactly what it mean. Undetectable equals untransmittable. Therein, zero percent of transmit. And I know a lot of people are afraid to have unprotected sex because you’ve been with your partner for so long. But you have to set your partner down and be like, “Okay, let’s go to one of my doctors and let’s have him explain it.” So you have talked to a professional and you understand that. And if you don’t mind, I would like to give an example. If that’s okay, Karl?
KARL
Please. Yeah, go ahead, go ahead, Lashanda.
LASHANDA
Okay. I’ve been with my fiance for three years. He has went to the doctor with me. My doctor has explained to him, “Undetectable, untransmittable.” And not saying this in a bad way, but we have unprotected sex and he still gets tested every six months. And to this day, he’s not positive. So that really, that example means exactly what it said.
KARL
What are some good ways for people to start those conversations with their friends, with their families, with their partners, with their peers? Doc, do you wanna go first?
DR. MCGOY
Absolutely. I mean, these are conversations that can be had intergenerationally, for all ages, for example. So from girlfriend to girlfriend. You know, “Hey girl, I know you, Lashanda. Hey girl, you’re engaged? I didn’t know. Congratulations! How are things going with you and your boo? Let’s have a conversation more about sexual health.” That’s just how you do it. Just like that. From mother to child, from auntie to niece. There’s all kinds of ways that we can have these intergenerational conversations to really spark about love, about sexual health, about protection, and about being healthy. And particularly about HIV.
KARL
Yeah, Lashanda, I know you’re a proud aunt. And as you said, you’re engaged. What are some of the ways to have these conversations? As the doctor said, perhaps intergenerational, with your family, with your friends, that doesn’t make it all feel a bit like this is awkward?
LASHANDA
Right. I’ve had a friend, we’ve been friends for about three years. And one day I just blurted out to her, “I’m HIV positive.” And she’s like, “Well, I’ve heard of the word, but I don’t understand.” So we went into that conversation. Also, I showed her information online about information from my doctor’s office. She’s went to the doctor with me. And there, I told her, “Ask all the questions you want to. He’s gonna answer them back.” And now I have a little cousin that’s 16 and at that age, they start. They start having sex, let’s have this conversation. I know it’s uncomfortable. And as well as my other cousin, he just went off to college. College parties. And I told him, “Hey, we gotta have this conversation before you leave. I know you’re grown and you think you’re grown and you know everything. But once again, I don’t want you to go through what I have.”
KARL
What do you both want people to know and understand about HIV testing?
LASHANDA
It’s nothing scary. Just go in there, breathe, take your test, and you’ll know your status within two weeks or so. And
KARL
Even quicker, sometimes.
LASHANDA
Yes, because they have that, I think it’s a swab test that they do. That’s rapid response or something. But yeah, there’s, this day and age, there is stigma around it. But you’ve got to do this for yourself.
DR. MCGOY
Yes, Lashanda, I was gonna say, “Love yourself. Love yourself enough to know your status.” Make it a part of your routine healthcare. If you are involved in activities where you might put yourself at risk, or activities that are risky, get tested. Six months, every six months. Make it a part of the conversations with your new boos. When you meet someone and you’re interested in them, have this conversation around their sexual health, around their HIV and STD status. Go together, make it fun! Go together, get tested. Have a home kit sent to you. And get tested at home together.
KARL
Do it at home. And these kits can be sent for free now. You don’t even have to worry about going somewhere and worrying that somebody’s gonna see you, walking somewhere, doing something. You can order these kits online for free. Tell me about Change the Pattern. What is the Change the Pattern initiative, Dr. McGoy?
DR. MCGOY
Yeah, absolutely. It’s one of my favorite initiatives in this work. I’ve been doing it, like I said, for 25 years. And Change the Pattern is with the National AIDS Memorial, the Quilt project. And so it’s about creating quilt panels to memorialize and remember those who we’ve lost to the epidemic. And so placing people’s names on the quilts, quilting and creating panels that memorialize them with things that they like, their pictures, and especially last year, the Change the Pattern traveled throughout the southern United States to make quilt panels for Black and Brown folks that we’ve lost to the epidemic. And you’d just be amazed at some of the conversations. Again, that intergenerational piece around quilting. Some of the old grandmothers in the basements of churches. I was just, look, just this Saturday, I was at a church creating a quilt panel. And so we got together, had lunch, talked, raising awareness about HIV. It brings so many people together, something so simple as quilting.
KARL
Dr. Shanell McGoy, Lashanda Salinas, thank you both for making time to chat with me today. Black HIV AIDS Awareness Day. It’s an important day. Thank you both for your time.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
KARL
That’s gonna do it for this episode of “Plus Talk.” If you want more information about Black HIV Awareness Day or resources for home testing and things like that, always check out our website, PlusLifeMedia.com, or you can follow us, please do, across social. We are @PlusLifeMedia on all social platforms. Until next time, be nice to one another. Go and get tested. We’ll see you soon. Bye bye.