ABSTRACT
There is incontrovertible evidence that HIV has a far more profound effect in communities of color and in the gay community than in any others in the United States. Although Blacks constitute about 12% of the population and Latinos comprise 7%, 27% of people with AIDS are Black and 15% are Latino (Bowles & Robinson, 1989). Although early cases of AIDS were predominantly in men, rates of infection among women of color have risen drastically. In 1989 it was one of the 10 leading causes of death in women of reproductive age, and it may soon be one of the top five causes of death for women of color, if current projections hold (Chu, Buehler, & Berkelman, 1990). These disturbing figures help to clarify how HIV has intruded on the lives of individuals with differing cultural experiences.
