Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Profiles HIV-Positive Woman Educating African-American Women About AIDS

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday profiled Sheila Taylor, a 38-year-old HIV-positive mother of three who directs outreach efforts aimed at helping raise HIV/AIDS awareness among other African-American women. Taylor, who contracted HIV in 1998 through unprotected sex, said she, as a black woman, did not think she was at risk for the disease. "We are not white and gay. We don't think we can get it. Little do we know. A lot of black bisexual men, they [conceal their sexuality]. That is why African-American women are getting it," she said. According to the CDC, 58% of the AIDS cases diagnosed among U.S. women since the beginning of the epidemic are among black women. To raise awareness, Taylor holds "Safe Sex Parties" at her home, where she tells her story, discusses HIV and gives information on how to prevent infection (Rouvalis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/30).