Having a sense of community and belonging is crucial for anyone’s success, but for LGBTQ+ people, that can be hard to find. Queer folks are often ostracized from mainstream circles, so there are times we have to create our own spaces where we can share our experiences and come together. In addition to general stigmatization, LGBTQ+ people are also disproportionately low income, experience homelessness, lack access to healthcare and have a greater risk of contracting HIV.
Individuals’ race, gender identity and more can also play a factor in one’s success. As it currently stands, people of color are at an even greater disadvantage than their white counterparts. An example of this can be found in HIV/AIDS rates among men: while Black men only account for 13% of the United States’ population, they make up over 42 percent of AIDS cases in the country. For Black women, it’s a similar story — according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black women make up around 14.5 percent of all of the AIDS cases in the U.S.
This has created a need for intersectional spaces to help address all the needs of marginalized community members, and across North Carolina, there are multiple spaces working toward this vision. From RAIN’s The Drop in Charlotte to SEEDS of Healing just outside of Wilmington, each of these organizations are dedicated to helping educate folks on HIV prevention as well as provide essential services to ensure people’s basic needs are met.
The Drop — Charlotte
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services had identified Mecklenburg County as one of 48 counties across the country that’s a hotspot for new HIV diagnoses. According to reporting from Spectrum News, special resources are being allocated for the Mecklenburg area to try reducing new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. by 90 percent by 2025.
Some of those resources have gone to the Drop — a space created by RAIN, an HIV awareness organization based out of Charlotte. The Drop is a “welcoming community-based safe space for young men of color who have sex with men, who are provided HIV education, prevention and essential support services,” according to the organization’s website.
The Drop helps provide essential services to queer men of color, some of which include full panel HIV/STI testing, counseling, a food pantry, a clothing closet, computers to use in house, resume building, shower services and more. Program Manager Devin Cokley told Spectrum News in December that the organization was able to help identify multiple HIV cases in the community throughout 2023.
“We have, current to date, over 1,000 [HIV] tests, which is a record for RAIN. And, we have been able to find 25 positives since the beginning of the year, since March,” Cokley said. “Having the doors open has given us the opportunity to serve the community a little bit better.”
Folks can drop into the center during operating times — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and on Fridays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. The Drop is located at 5114 Monroe Road in Charlotte.
PowerHouse 2.0 — Charlotte
PowerHouse is very similar to The Drop in its mission — it’s a drop-in style center for young, queer men of color to come together and have access to essential resources. This center serves as a hub for queer men of color in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area and offers a wide array of services, including free and confidential HIV/STI testing that can be done in-house or the testing kits can be sent to people’s homes.
PowerHouse’s mission statement reads:
“Our mission is to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for our clients to access HIV prevention and education services as well as essential support services. We are committed to empowering our clients and providing them with the resources they need to stay safe and informed. Our counselors are dedicated to building a supportive community and helping our clients reach their goals.”
Other services besides HIV/STI testing the organization provides include PrEP services, career guidance, computer and media use and more. Folks can drop into the center located at 3552 Beatties Ford Rd. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and every second and fourth Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Triangle Empowerment Center — Durham
Located at 112 Broadway St. in downtown Durham is the Triangle Empowerment Center, a non-profit volunteer-run community organization providing a variety of health-related services to residents of the Durham, Wake, Orange and Johnson counties and the surrounding areas.
According to the organization’s website, the Triangle Empowerment Center offers a wide array of services — from social gatherings to HIV/STI panel testing. Their mission statement reads:
“There are no membership fees, no initiation, no minimum requirement of meetings/events to attend, etc. Everyone is welcome to seek services at Triangle Empowerment Center or to come to our events. Because lots of people of color, shape, sexual orientation, religion and culture make up the community we serve, we don’t clique or exclude anyone … Even though Triangle Empowerment Center’s services are primarily geared towards minority [males who have sex with males], anyone is always welcome. No matter if you’re straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, etc., we welcome you. The only requirement is that you come as you are.”
For more information about appointments and activities from the Triangle Empowerment Center, people can email triangleempowermentcenter@yahoo.com or send a message to the group’s Facebook page.
SEEDS of Healing — Wilmington
Just outside of Wilminton in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, resides SEEDS of Healing (SOH), a not-for-profit organization providing HIV awareness and education to the eastern North Carolina community. SOH utilizes different community outreach tactics to help educate the importance of HIV prevention, some of these methods include “mobile-targeted HIV testing, consistent in-person and online educational programming, and annual events that build community, awareness, and resilience,” according to the organization’s website.
SOH offers special programming for Black Women with an HIV diagnosis; HIV testing, and promotion of PrEP, focusing on reaching Black gay and bisexual men, LGBTQ+ youth and Transgender persons in its service area.
According to the organization’s mission statement:
“HIV affects those of lower socioeconomic status and impoverished neighborhoods at a disproportionately higher rate. Trends demonstrate the increased impact of the disease on women, minorities, older adults, rural residents and those living in the South. Our county’s hospital is the largest HIV provider in southeast North Carolina and provides HIV care to the neighboring rural counties … We are asking you to consider getting involved to END THE EPIDEMIC.”
More information about SOH and its programs can be found on its website at https://www.seedsofhealinginc.org/.