National Latino AIDS Awareness Day!

Written by Instinct Staff

Get the history behind the day and find out what steps are being taken to empower the Latino communities in America, after the jump.

Since 2003, National Latino AIDS Awareness Day has taken place on the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month. The awareness day was created as a grassroots social media campaign aimed at raising awareness of the impact that HIV/AIDS has had and continues to have on the Latino community. 

This year’s theme is “Latinos Unite! Let’s stay Healthy! Get Tested for HIV!” 

“For the last month, Americans have been celebrating the many positive contributions Latinos have made to our society,” says National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) Deputy Executive Director Daniel C. Montoya. “NLAAD is an opportunity for all of us to consider ways that we can contribute to positive health outcomes in the Latino community. Despite making up just 17 percent of the population, Latinos account for 20 percent of all new HIV infections in the United States. The epidemic is even more severe among gay and bisexual Latinos.  For the first time in 2009, the number of infections among gay and bisexual Latino men was higher than those among African American women.”

So to all our sexy papis (and the men who love 'em), know your status!