A downtown Phoenix organization is striving to aid gay and bisexual men of color who are HIV positive.
Phoenix TEA, or Teaching, Empowerment and taking Action, was founded by Andrew Rascon after he noticed there was a major rise in HIV positive men between ages 18 to 29. The HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the body’s immune system and left untreated, HIV makes the host more vulnerable to other diseases and infections.
“[TEA is] a safe place to talk about needs, wants, aspirations or even just to vent,” said Richie Jay, an active member of the group.
Their space is decorated with a variety of accessories including graphic throw pillows, colorful wall hangings, and string lights.
“We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re walking into a clinic,” Rascon said. “We want to avoid that feeling. We’re big on hospitality here.”
The TEA’s main objective is to provide a safe place for individuals who want to avoid the stigma of HIV and AIDS. TheTEA is a community meant to support young LGTBQ men of color and inform the community about HIV, testing, treatments and education about PreP, a method to stop the spread of the virus.
“There’s a slang term for gossip that a lot of the youth are familiar with,” Rascon said. “What’s the tea? Like what’s happening? We thought it would be a fun and relatable name. Later, as a team, we came up with a fun acronym for it about teaching, empowering and taking action.”
The core of the organization consists of eight men who help plan events, reach out to the community and recruit new members. They meet bi-weekly to plan events that promote empowerment with LGBTQ youth. The members also came up with the name of the organization.
“We like to be open about sex,” Rascon said. “Be blunt and real. But most importantly, don’t ‘yuck my yum’ (don’t kink-shame).”
TEA is a safe space for men to be open about their sexual encounters. Their meeting space contains a condom and lube bar which encourages visitors to take contraceptives in order to promote safe sex practices and avoid any potential shame.
“Newly diagnosed guys don’t feel sexy,” Rascon said. “How do we support them? How can we get them to a place where they feel sexy again?”
TEA received a grant from the CDC as well as support from the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS, where they also hold their meetings.
“[Be] sexy to your truth,” said Rascon, “be true to who you are, negative or positive, be sexy.”
For questions, contact the reporter jhern156@asu.edu.
