Safe Sex and Beating the Odds

Produced by the HRC Foundation
Two Black men about to kiss

Taking precautions against HIV doesn’t mean you should be ashamed of your sexuality or not enjoy sex - you can love your body and stay safe.


An inter racial male couple kissing on the left with text on the right that reads "MY BODY" with "UP FOR FUN? DO IT SAFELY" in all caps below.

Up For Fun? Do it Safely!

  • When using a condom correctly, people are at least 10 times less likely to get HIV.
  • For people who are not HIV positive but are sexually active, taking PrEP every day reduces their risk by a LOT - 74% from injecting drugs and 99% from sex.
  • People who are living with HIV and taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) have an undetectable viral load and are unable to transmit HIV to their partner; Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).

To Beat the Odds Know the Facts

HIV Lifetime Risk for Gay and Bisexual Men:

Two Black men about to kiss on the left with text on the right that reads "1 IN 6 GAY OF BISEXUAL MEN WITH HIV ARE UNAWARE THEY HAVE HIV" in all caps. With text below that reads "KNOW YOUR STATUS GET TESTED" in all caps with "HRC.im/GetTestedHRC" below that.
  • 1 in 4 Latine men may encounter HIV in their lifetime
  • 1 in 2 African American/Black men may encounter HIV in their lifetime
  • Roughly one-fifth of Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men are on PrEP, which is significantly less than the one-third of white gay and bisexual men on PrEP
  • 1 in 7 Black gay and bisexual men are unaware they have HIV
  • 1 in 6 Latino gay and bisexual men are unaware they have HIV

Transgender Women and HIV:

Image of a person on the left with text on the right that reads "1 IN 20 TRANSGENDER WOMEN ARE LIVING WITH HIV" in all caps with smaller text below that reads "KNOW YOUR STATUS GET TESTED" in all caps. Below that is "HRC.im/GetTestedHRC"
  • Nearly 1 in 2 Black transgender women are living with HIV
  • 1 in 4 Latine transgender women are living with HIV

Black People and HIV:

Photo of three Black people - two men and one woman in the middle. With text on the right that reads "46% OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN THE U.S. ARE BLACK" in all caps with smaller text below that reads "KNOW YOUR STATUS GET TESTED" with text below that reads "HRC.im/GetTestedHRC"
  • 42% of new HIV diagnoses are among Black individuals

Youth and HIV

Photo of three young people on the left with text on the right that reads "1 in 5 NEW HIV DIAGNOSES ARE YOUNG PEOPLE BETWEEN 13 AND 24 YEARS OLD" in all caps. With text below "KNOW YOUR STATUS GET TESTED" in all caps with smaller text below that reads "HRC.im/GetTestedHRC
  • 19% of LGBTQ+ high school youth have been tested for HIV
  • 39% of LGBTQ+ high school youth used a condom during their last sexual intercourse, compared to 60% of non-LGBTQ+ youth
  • Among people 13-24 living with HIV, 44% don’t know their status
  • Only 24% of college students have ever been tested
  • 84% of youth 15-24 believes there is stigma around HIV

Youth and Sex Education

Photo of young girl on the left with text on the right that reads "1 in 4 LGBTQ YOUTH ARE NOT RECIEVING EDUCATION ABOUT HIV & AIDS IN SCHOOL" in all caps. With text below that reads "KNOW YOUR STATUS GET TESTED" in all caps with smaller text below that reads "HRC.im/GetTestedHRC"
  • Only 41% of U.S. secondary schools are required to provide students with instruction on HIV prevention
  • 54% of HBCUs have no formal HIV prevention policies
  • Just 34 states and the District of Columbia mandate HIV education
  • Only 13 states require that HIV education be medically accurate

HIV Transmission

Photo of young girl on the left with text on the right that reads "1 in 4 LGBTPhoto of hands on the left with text on the right that reads "9 OUT OF 10 NEW HIV DIAGNOSES WERE FROM SEXUAL CONTACT" in all caps. With text below that reads "KNOW YOUR STATUS GET TESTED" in all caps with smaller text below that reads "HRC.im/GetTestedHRC"
  • 80% of new diagnoses in men were from sex with other men
  • 7% of new diagnoses resulted from injection drug use
  • HIV can only be transmitted through bodily fluids like semen and blood

The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.