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Dr. Gail Wyatt
Associate Director, UCLA AIDS Institute
We don't go to the doctor on a basis that would prevent the kinds of problems that lead to HIV and AIDS.
Q: Has the myth that black women are sexually promiscuous faded?
No; it's just as vibrant today as it was 200, 500 years ago. They started in the 16th century, and their vibrancy and their potency has not changed. In fact, we have so many young hip-hop artists and movie stars that emulate that very same image of the she-devil. And this has a lot to do with why people don't take seriously when we become infected with HIV and AIDS or sexually transmitted infections.
Q: Why should people outside of the black community care that this disease is ravaging black women and their babies?
It's not their problem, but it is their problem. Black women are linked to them by the fact that we're part of the human race, and there is no race when it comes to health. Somehow, people have this mythical thinking that if your people are doing something, they're not doing it in my group. People are being very naive if they think that they can cloister AIDS or sexually transmitted infections and simply blame the victim.
Q: Is there something called sexual politics?
The last election had everything to do with sexual politics, and people don't talk about it, so sometimes we're not aware that sex is used sometimes to frighten people. It's certainly used to titillate. Even when you buy tires, you've got a half-naked woman standing up there selling you a tire. It's very critical that we understand when our chains are being pulled and for what reason, be it race, be it sex, be it gender.
Dr. Gail Wyatt is Associate Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute. The first African American woman licensed as a psychologist in California, she's developed curricula for school age children on human sexuality.
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The UCLA AIDS Institute provides a unique, multidisciplinary think-tank for top-flight researchers to encourage the active cross-fertilization of new ideas.
The Black AIDS Institute is a policy center dedicated to reducing HIV/AIDS health disparities.
Ask Dr. Wyatt includes a self-test that provides crucial clues to self-awareness.
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Published: September 15, 2005
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