The Human Rights Campaign has announced a new initiative that will provide at-home HIV test kits to thousands of those in the LGBTQ community disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
While the project is only in its pilot stage, the HRC has already committed to delivering 5,000 home test kits this year to the Black and Latinx populations who have suffered the most during this decades-long battle. In addition to these LGBTQ communities, they will specifically focus on providing trans women with the necessary supplies to protect themselves.
Kits will include an OraQuick oral testing swab, condoms, lubricant, and a test information card.
In addition to the test kits, applicants will also be provided with contacts to local health resources and be given a patient navigator from partner organization Us Helping Us. These navigators will follow up with the applicant after they request the kit to make sure the in-home testing process goes smoothly. HIV+ individuals can also request referrals to local health providers.
“This provides an opportunity for individuals to take control of their health and know their status in a convenient and private setting,” J. Maurice McCants-Pearsall, HRC’s director of HIV and Health Equity, tells them. this week. “[It’s] a significant step in ending the epidemic and serving the needs of the communities that are disproportionately impacted by HIV.”
Although the Biden administration has promised to address this epidemic, and has taken some significant steps towards progress, the numbers and statistics are still very discouraging. Half of all Black queer, cisgender men and a quarter of Latino men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Data on trans women is harder to find, but a recent CDC survey of seven U.S. cities saw that 62 percent of Black trans women and 35 percent of Latinx trans women are currently living with HIV.
The HRC hopes that their new initiative will start drastically curbing these numbers. Giving individuals the ability to test in the comfort and safety of their own homes, at their own convenience, for no charge will dramatically increase access to care.
The tests are quick and easy to use. Users swipe the swab along their gums, then insert it into a test tube with a “C” and “T” section, instructs OraQuick’s website. A line at the “C” section indicates that the test is working. If only the “C” line appears, the test is negative, and if a line at the “T” section appears, the test is positive. The kit yields results in a mere 20 minutes.
You can request a kit here, and learn more about HIV resources in your area here.
