A Call to Center Latino Members of Sexual Minority Groups and Strengthen the US HIV Response.

Abstract

Importance: The Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative aims to reduce new HIV infections in the US by 75% in 2025 and 90% in 2030, prioritizing 57 US jurisdictions with the highest incidence rates. Although Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are identified as a priority population, their representation and prioritization within the plans of these jurisdictions remain unclear. Understanding how local strategies align with national HIV prevention priorities is needed for the next phase of EHE planning and implementation (2026-2030). Publicly available HIV/EHE plans were reviewed from all prioritized jurisdictions to assess whether Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM-specific needs, barriers, targeted strategies, community engagement, and performance metrics were addressed.

Observations: Plans from 19 jurisdictions (33%) explicitly described the needs of Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM, while plans from 22 jurisdictions (39%) acknowledged barriers faced by Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM. Additionally, 26 jurisdictions (46%) outlined specific implementation strategies or activities to engage Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM in HIV prevention and care efforts. Nineteen jurisdictions (33%) reported on the extent of Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM community engagement in current or future EHE initiatives. Only 2 jurisdictions (4%) discussed performance measures to track progress specific to Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM within their EHE plans. This review identified gaps, including the lack of disaggregated metrics for Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM, a limited focus on social and economic barriers that hinder access to essential services, and insufficient engagement with the Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM community.

Conclusions and relevance: To strengthen the next phase of EHE planning, it is recommended to engage Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM in all stages of EHE implementation, develop and track performance and outreach metrics, and leverage local data to inform EHE policy decisions, drive resource allocation, and ensure accountability in the development of tailored strategies that meet the health needs of Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM. Given the recent erasure of vital gender and sexual health data, the visibility of Latino gay, bisexual, and other MSM in national HIV prevention efforts and data reporting is critical to effectively address disparities and advance the goal of ending the HIV epidemic.