Sex with Me: Conversations with Black Gay Men About Sexual Health

Today is African, Caribbean, and Black Canadian HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. To mark the day, we’re excited to release our newest video series. 

Since 2018, the GMSH has worked with partners from across the HIV sector in Ontario—including BlackCAP, ACCHO, and BGMN—to foster relationships with queer Black men. Together, we have hosted community dialogues, coordinated research, and examined the experiences of Black same gender-loving (SGL) men in our sector.  

In that time, we consistently heard from community members that there was a lack of media and resources that uplifted Black voices and represented the diverse experiences of queer Black men. Rather than trying to speak for different people within our communities, the GMSH is a platform to let folks speak for themselves.  

For this project, we interviewed three queer Black men from different backgrounds and talked sex, sexual health, and having fun. The result is six videos starring and produced by Black SGL men that cover the experiences of the community. This series, split into two parts, is a tool to help to bridge knowledge gaps among service providers and promote affirming, culturally responsive sexual health and HIV related outreach and care for Black SGL men. 

Many thanks to the creators behind this project, including Phillip Pike at Roaring River Films, who provided art direction and filmed and edited the videos, Max Mohenu, who produced and conducted the interviews, Karim Olen Ash for the music, and of course Twysted Miyake-Mugler, Zymbul Fkara, and Orlando Saint Pierre for sharing their stories.