Since 2009, Latinos have accounted for 20 percent of new HIV infections in the US. Jasmine Garsd reports on the International AIDS conference held in Washington, DC. Conference attendees discussed a range of issues relating to Latinos, such as the need for education, the stigma attached to GLBT people in the Latino community and how immigration laws may hinder undocumented immigrants from seeking diagnosis or treatment.
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Jasmine Garsd was born in Argentina and hosts NPR’s Alt.Latino podcast. As a journalist she’s worked on the NPR programs Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation and Tell Me More. She has covered a wide variety of topics for radio including immigration issues.
I’m not sure the could not be much further from the truth is acucrate after all, um, the major race of Central and South America is Hispanic and also speak Spanish. Why do we assume that all middle easterners are Muslim? Well, because the majority are. Why when I travel to developing countries does everyone assume because I am American, I am rich? Well its all perspective. I took a class with a Hispanic guy who did speak Spanish although his English was perfect and and there would be no way to guess it except his race. The professor made a comment to such affect, an assumption. The guy said, I don’t speak Spanish. And the teacher had a moment of genuine embarrassment before the guy said, Just kidding. They don’t mean harm its an innocent generalization and if they realized they were doing it, they’d probably feel bad, so just tell them!