In recognition of National HIV Testing Day,Latinx and LGBTQ+ community-based organization Bienestar Human Services hosted an event this past Saturday, July 1 at the East Los Angeles Civic Center, sponsored by Gilead Sciences.
A culmination of a week of awareness events across Los Angeles, the gathering offered free HIV testing and entertainment, including local DJ Armando Vega and entertainer Mya Befierce, to educate the community about the importance of taking this first step toward knowing their HIV status and steps to access prevention and treatment options.
HIV testing is a critical tool to help end the HIV epidemic in the United States, and taking an HIV test is the only way to know one’s HIV status. About 158,000 of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. are unaware of their status, which emphasizes the need for increased testing. In Los Angeles County, there were approximately 58,000 people living with HIV in 2021, with 6,400 unaware of their status.
While progress has been made, gay and bisexual men have continued to be disproportionately impacted, making up more than half of all people living with HIV across the U.S. in 2019 and more than 87% of those living with HIV in Los Angeles County in 2020. Gay and bisexual men face multiple HIV prevention challenges, such as racism, discrimination, homophobia and stigma, that put them at higher risk for HIV and prevent them from accessing quality health care that allows them to be aware of their status and take steps to improve their health.
Learn more about HIV testing and how to find a testing site or where to order a free at-home test – HERE.
