COMMUNITY CONSULTATION SERIES Women Who Have Sex With Women (WSW) and HIV Prevention

1. COMMUNITY CONSULTATION SERIESWomen Who Have Sex With Women (WSW) and HIV Prevention Presented by:The Institute @ Harm Reduction Coalition May 14, 2010

2. Harm Reduction Coalition • Founded in 1994 to work with individuals and communities at risk for HIV infection due to drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors. • Committed to reducing drug-related harm by initiating and promoting local, regional and national harm reduction education, interventions and community organizing • Offer specific expertise in how to best incorporate the principles of health and safety promotion for drug users.

3. HRC Programs & Services Policy Advocacy Lifting the Federal Funding Ban on Needle Exchange National and Regional Conferences Next conference: Austin, November 18-21, 2010 The Institute @HRC Harm Reduction Training Institute Hepatitis C Project Skills and Knowledge on Overdose Prevention (SKOOP) Capacity Building Assistance (CBA) for Communities CBA for Community Based Organizations

4. Examples of (Free!) CBA Services • Providing skills-building trainings at HRC or on-site at CBOs • Consultation and coaching around the implementation, adaptation, and evaluation of the Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBIs) • Develop quality assurance and evaluation plans for effective HIV prevention interventions for high-risk seronegatives and HIV positive individuals • Integrating cultural competence and linguistic appropriateness into intervention activities

5. Examples of (Free!) CBA Services • DEBIs • Training • Technical Assistance • Adaptation • Implementation • Evaluation • Cultural Competency • Linguistic Appropriateness • OIPS • Board Development • Strategic Planning • Fiscal Management • Grant Writing • Program Collaboration and Service Integration • CMM • Community Identification and Definition • Community- level Assessment, Collaboration and Development • M&E • Quality Assurance • Outcome Monitoring • Data Collection, Management, and Analysis Skills building, consultation, and coaching

6. Community Consultation Series The purpose of the Community Consultation Series (CCS) is to: Raise awareness about HIV prevention issues in the community Solicit feedback from our consumers – CBOs, HDs and other community stakeholders working with people infected and affected with HIV/AIDS Ensure the meaningful integration of consumer input into The Institute’s work

7. Agenda Introduction by Moderator: Alicia Heath-Toby, Women’s Institute at Gay Men’s Health Crisis Panelist presentations Naomi Braine, Brooklyn College Jennifer Lorvick, RTI International Darlene Jenkins, New York Harm Reduction Educators Jae Quinlin, Consumer Question & Answer Moderated Discussion and Solutions/Strategies Brainstorm Next Steps Evaluation & Closure

8. Web Conference Guidelines Your Phone Will Be Kept on Mute until the Q&A period Chat Function Will Enable You to Send Questions To the Moderator Respect Each Other No cross talking – One person at a time Step Up, Step Back

9. ALICIA HEATH-TOBY, MODERATOR

10. NAOMI BRAINE, PANELIST

11. WSWs and HIV: thinking about identities and dynamics of risk Naomi Braine Sociology Dept Brooklyn College WSW and HIV Webinar Harm Reduction Coalition May 14, 2010

12. Some things change, some things stay the same 1990+/- : The challenges of identity Are lesbians at risk? In what ways? Woman-to-woman transmission Sex with men Injection drug use What does ‘lesbian HIV risk’ mean? And how did the CDC define ‘lesbian’? Now: WSW-IDU @ SEPs (data collected 2000-05) 18% of sexually active women (last 30 days) overall 32% @ program with highest proportion WSW

13. Identities, Risk and HIV, round I Identity ≠ behavior Identity and prevention Contradictions of identity and sexual practice MSM, WSW, epidemiology and culture

14. Identities, Risk and HIV, round II Social Location Identity HIV Risks Resources/ Marginality Social Networks

15. Marginality, resources and risk Interactions of race, class, gender(s), and sexuality Stigmas within sexual minority communities Access to services, experience with service providers Mainstream Community based Multiple marginalization* *Young, R., Friedman, SR, and Case, P (2005) “Exploring an HIV Paradox.” Journal of Lesbian Studies, vol 9(3)

16. Lesbian/Bi identified clients at Bronx MMTP

17. Gender, sexuality, and WSW identities AG, Boi, Butch, Femme, Drag King, Trans, and more Social locations: networks, cultures, spaces and contexts Sexual locations: desires, partners, contexts and practices Inherently relational A place in the world A way of understanding self and others

18. JENNIFER LORVICK, PANELIST

19. Sexual & Injection Risk among WSW who Use Methamphetamine Jennifer Lorvick, MPH Urban Health Program RTI International jlorvick@rti.org HRC Webinar May 2010

20. Women and Meth Study Objective: To examine sexually transmitted infections and sexual risk among women who use methamphetamine in San Francisco • Community-based • Quantitative (n=322) and qualitative (n=37) • HIV and STI testing, counseling & treatment • Bio female, > 18, meth past month • >1 male sex partner past 6 months • Sex with woman past 6 months: 36% (n=116)

21. Sexual behavior, past 6 months(n=322) *p<.05

22. Drugs & injection, past 6 months(n=322) *p<.05

23. Potential Prevention Implications • Findings similar to a much earlier study of WSW who use injection drugs or crack (Kral & Lorvick, 1997) • Sex with female partners a possible indicator of greater overall sexual risk • Among drug-using WSW, identity-based prevention approaches may not be effective

24. DARLENE JENKINS, PANELIST

25. Staying Safe Saving Lives Womyn who have sex with Womyn (WSWs) Presented by: Darlene Jenkins, MPA

26. New York Harm Reduction Educators(aka NYHRE) • A harm-reduction based social service agency specializing in providing case management, support groups, and individual therapy to active drug users and their partners. Services provided to highly marginalized populations from two offices and sixteen mobile sites.

27. How Capacity-Building Agencies Help • They can: • Assist with identifying target population • Assist with community outreach • Identify the need for on-going staff development • Facilitate networking with appropriate agencies • Can offer WSW-specific services

28. HIV Prevention Needs for WSW • Logistics: • A safe and appropriate setting • Knowledgeable Staff (of both HIV and gay issues) • Educational materials (pamphlets, etc) • Safer-sex Equipment (i.e., Dental Dams, Finger cots, etc) • HIV Counseling and Testing

29. Intervention and OutreachWhat Can Service Providers Do? • Do you know your population? • Do you have a plan for building relationships? • How do you engage? • Are you or can you be non-judgmental? • Are you prepared?

30. For further information contact: Darlene Jenkins, MPA 212.828.8464/718.842.6050 Email: djenkins@nyhre.org

31. JAE QUINLAN, PANELIST

32. QUESTION &ANSWER

33. DISCUSSION AND BRAINSTORM Solutions & Strategies WE WILL NOT SOLVE ALL PROBLEMS! HOWEVER, WE ARE TAKING THE FIRST OF MANY STEPS TOWARDS A SOLUTION

34. NEXT STEPS

35. EVALUATION & CLOSURE

36. For More Information The Institute @ Harm Reduction Coalition22 West 27th Street, 5th FloorNew York, New York 10001Tel: 212-213-6376Fax: 212-213-6582Website: www.harmreduction.org theinstitute@harmreduction.org