"Your Status is Artful:" Exploring the Counter Narrative Project's Role in Arts-Based HIV Advocacy for Black Queer Men.

Abstract

Recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, HIV continues to be a significant health disparity among Black queer men, who face disproportionately high rates of new cases. The Counter Narrative Project (CNP), a nonprofit founded in 2014 in Atlanta, frequently employs arts-based strategies to challenge HIV stigma and advocate for narrative and policy change for the Black queer community. Utilizing the Culture Centered Approach (CCA) and principles of emancipatory research, this study invited community members to explore how the CNP positions theater and literature as health communication interventions. Through an analysis of two case studies, the virtual staging of the play One in Two during the COVID-19 pandemic and the reading of two Essex Hemphill poems at a biomedical conference, the findings illustrate the transformative power of art in fostering community, encouraging public dialogue, and contesting stigmatized narratives of HIV. Further, by intentionally accentuating the narratives of numerous Black queer men living with HIV, the findings unveil the CNP's unique role in reshaping discourse around HIV. Through arts-based advocacy, the CNP challenges dominant, white-centered narratives focused on biomedical prevention.