According to the 2018 AARP Loneliness and Social Connections Survey study, LGBTQ+ males are at an increased risk for chronic loneliness and commonly usetechnology to socialize with friends. Those participants said they spent too much time alone and engaged in more risky or unhealthy behaviors when lonely. Heterosexuals more often socialize with friends in person. Why is this a difference?
Queer spaces have long been tied to nightlife culture, born from necessity in bars and clubs where safety and community were first found. But what started as a sanctuary has, for some, become a source of harm. As rates of addiction, relapse, and overdose climb across the LGBTQ+ population, we must reckon with an uncomfortable truth: celebration shouldn't come at the cost of our lives.
"We are honored to share the name and event details of Cycle to Zero with our community, so many who have been supporters of SFAF, long-time participants of AIDS/LifeCycle, and champions for our HIV and LGBTQ communities," said Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., CEO of SFAF. "As our systems of public health care and funding for HIV and LGBTQ+ services continue to come under attack, now is the time for our communities to come together to protect and prioritize the health care and services we need."