Latinos Facing Stigma

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Latino communities have been disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender persons (GBT). The stigma towards homosexuality and HIV/AIDS has been proposed as one of the underlying factors leading to unprotected sex, hence, to HIV and AIDS. The stigma towards homosexuality and HIV/AIDS may put individuals at risk for HIV because of its negative impact on the self, because it may diminish social support, and because it may prevent individuals from accessing resources. Despite the decline in negative societal attitudes towards homosexuality and HIV/AIDS in the U.S., gay men continue to experience stigmatization. Unfortunately, research and intervention activities focused on stigma are limited. The overall goal of our research activities is to reduce HIV and AIDS among Latino GET. The goal of this Phase II project, thus, is to produce and test an educational documentary film to decrease stigma towards homosexuality and HIV/AIDS as a means to prevent HIV-risk behaviors among Latino GET. The specific aims include: 1. To produce an educational documentary film. The primary target audience for this film is Latino youth between the ages of 14 and 24. The secondary audiences include Latino adults; and members of the gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender communities. 2. To develop a discussion guide for use with the educational film. 3. To evaluate the educational film through a pre-post test of stigmatizing attitudes towards homosexuality and HIV/AIDS among a segment of our primary audience. Our commercialization plan, which includes national television broadcast, educational distribution, and local community outreach, will help make this film widely available among Spanish and English speaking Latino and GET audiences.