By Denise Calderon, April 15, 2025
Latinos make up about 18% of the U.S. population but account for 33% of HIV cases. Although the Black/African American community still represents the largest portion of HIV diagnoses in 2022 at 35%, the surge within the Latino community has now made it the second highest, according to the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to CNN, the surge has increased by 19% from 2018 to 2022 based on factors such as racism, poverty, language barriers and stigma.
Poverty among Latino communities causes struggles when it comes to finding health care options and treatment according to KFF. Obtaining insurance is difficult for those who may not have good jobs or the money to pay for it. This may result in Latinos not having enough awareness of their own bodies due to the lack of doctor visits. Health care can be costly, and many young gay Latino men, who are the main demographic for the surge, cannot afford the proper medicine, according to AP News.
A lot of the money the government allocates for HIV care in the United States has not been divided evenly within communities and in states. From the $30 million that went toward federal HIV funding in 2022, only 4% was used for prevention, according to AP News.
Furthermore, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Jan. 20 halting any funding going toward HIV prevention, according to NPR. The aid the government provided, known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has helped save 26 million lives. Without this funding, many people could be at risk, including the Latino community.
Alvaro Huerta, an associate professor of ethnic and Chicano/Chicana studies at Cal Poly Pomona, explained how the lack of funds is often a bigger issue in the Latino community when it comes to solving issues like HIV than factors such as race.
“When it comes to class, it impacts those that are poor more”, Huerta said. “For example, Magic Johnson contracted HIV a long time ago, and because he had money, he was able to live and get the health care that he needed in the medicine. But if he was poor, he would have been dead by now, so the access to health care and education in some cases supersedes race, you know, to tell you the truth.”
Aside from money, stigma within the Latino community can create barriers for those seeking medical help for HIV or HIV prevention. Juan Gomez, a political science student, talked about how his community views topics like HIV.
“I think it’s an unspoken topic, or a taboo if you will, in our community,” Gomez said. “There’s also the embarrassment one feels and the judgment from even one’s own family.”
Huerta also discussed how stigma is related to the homophobia around HIV and how people, not only in the Latino community, have this idea of toxic masculinity. He said that can often impact people reaching out for help and talking about these sensitive issues that need to be brought to light.
“I think that the one problem, and it’s universal, not just for Latinos and Latinas, is that the stigma associated with it prevents people from getting the help they need,” Huerta said. “Or it prevents people from being open and discussing it. Even within families, let’s say you forget about society; there’s that stigma, the shame you’re going to be outcasted. Homophobia, right? In our case, it is the machismo. But I want to be clear that the United States is a machista country, too.”
The LGBTQ+ community oftentimes faces a lot of stigma when it comes to issues like HIV. Many assume only gay people can contract HIV, but anyone can be exposed to it. However, LGBTQ+ people are targeted more for spreading the disease. For instance, in a study by The National Library of Medicine out of 667 gay men with HIV, 70.2% of the respondents said they had experienced some form of stigma.
Andy Cooper, an english education student, said they have friends within the LGBTQ community who have struggled with the stigma of being queer.
“I did have a friend who identified as a bisexual man who was native Hawaiian, who struggled with cultural stigma around his queerness which made health care more difficult when he was a minor,” Cooper said.
Cooper is closely associated with the LGBTQ+ community and would like to see a change regarding the stigma with health care and having easier access to resources, that could help people who might not know where to look. For instance, more digital information for who may not be able to go in person and receive the help they deserve.
The Student Health and Wellness services offer free HIV testing every Tuesday not only to CPP students but everyone in nearby communities. The HIV testing is located at the Wellness Center in building 46. The tests are done by the East Valley Community Health Center, and there is also an option to go to the East Valley office located on Garey Ave. in Pomona. The tests are confidential with results given in about 20 minutes.
Feature image courtesy of Connor Lālea Hampton