The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta announced a few months ago that about half of all gay and bisexual black men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — during their lifetime.

The study results, presented a conference in Boston, showed the HIV epidemic is hitting gay and bisexual men the hardest. Overall, 1 in 6 gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV. That includes 1 in 2 blacks, 1 in 4 Hispanics and 1 in 11 whites. In contrast, the rate of infection for heterosexual men is 1 in 473.

Indeed doctors recently compared the epidemic in Atlanta to that in third world countries.

Nicole Roebuck, executive director of AID Atlanta, an organization that provides AIDS prevention and care services, says the stigma associated with being gay is the reason for the continued spread.

Read more what she had to say in an interview with Gracie Bonds Staples.

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Fireworks will be set off at dusk at Alpharetta’s Independence Day event at Wills Park. The photo shows a view of a previous year’s fireworks from the nearby Walk of Memories at American Legion Post 201. (Courtesy of Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau/Jack Tuszynski)

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC