Saturday, September 27, marks National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NGMHAAD) 2025. Whether these men identify as gay, same-gender-loving, men who have sex with men (MSM), bisexual or something else, data show that male-to-male sexual contact continues to account for a majority of new HIV diagnoses in the United States.

This awareness day offers an opportunity to shine a spotlight not only on these disproportionate numbers but also on the challenges—and possible solutions—involved in addressing HIV and AIDS among gay and bisexual men.

The defunct National Association for People with AIDS founded the awareness day in 2008. About 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and in 2023, more than 658,000 of them acquired HIV through male-to-male sexual activity (about 58%). Among men living with HIV in the country, male-to-male sexual activity accounted for 75% of cases.

The interactive site AIDSVu.org, which creates maps and charts on communities, cities and states across the nation, provides further statistics. Regarding NGMHAAD 2025, AIDSVu writes:

“In 2023, 25,909 people were newly diagnosed with HIV attributed to male-to-male sexual contact, representing 66% of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. Among males, 81% of new diagnoses were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact. More than half (51%) of these new diagnoses occurred in the Southern region of the U.S.

“By age, men ages 25–34 made up the largest share of new diagnoses among MSM in 2023, accounting for 41%. Young men ages 13–24 accounted for 23%.

“Racial and ethnic disparities persist among gay and bisexual men. From 2008 to 2023, new diagnoses among white MSM decreased by 34%. Over the same period, diagnoses among Black MSM fell by just 5%, while diagnoses among Hispanic MSM increased by 52%. …

“The HIV care continuum also shows gaps: in 2023, 84% of MSM were linked to care, 78% received care, and 70% achieved viral suppression. These outcomes varied by race, with Black MSM less likely to be virally suppressed (65%) compared to white MSM (74%) and Hispanic MSM (69%).

“Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men continue to experience HIV stigma due to their sexuality. On AIDSVu’s Stigma Dashboard, which tracks familial, societal, and healthcare HIV stigma among MSM, 25% of MSM in Georgia reported feeling scared to be in public places due to their sexuality, according to analysis by Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“NGMHAAD raises awareness about the significant challenges stemming from racism, homophobia, transphobia, stigma, and other social determinants of health faced by gay, bisexual, and other MSM as they navigate HIV prevention, testing, care, and treatment.”

To find sharable graphics and events near you, including testing opportunities, search the hashtag #NGMHAAD on social media. Sample posts are embedded throughout.

And for a collection of related articles in POZ, click #Gay and #LGBTQ. You’ll find headlines such as:

Click here to learn more about 2025 HIV and AIDS awareness days, and click here for a printable poster.

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