Our latest for EBONY: "Jamar Rogers Uses His 'Voice' to Fight HIV, Addiction and Homohobia." It may be the most candid interview yet from the breakout star of The Voice.
Viewers fell in love with Rogers’ raspy baritone and his incredible personal story, when the singer disclosed to the weekly television audience of 14 million viewers that he was HIV-positive. Rogers learned of his HIV-positive status about seven years ago in Atlanta. “I had been using crystal methamphetamine for about five years,” he told EBONY.com. “I would snort it, smoke it, shoot it intravenously, I shared needles. I was hard core.”
“I had sex for money and for drugs,” Rogers told EBONY.com. “I slept with men and women. I was just trying to get as high as possible as often as possible. That’s what happened.”
Jamar Rogers’ narrative is more common than many people—especially in the Black community—would believe. Crystal meth was once stereotyped as being a favorite on the largely white gay “circuit party” scene. But its abuse “has increased” among Black gay and bisexual men, according to a 2008 study in Addict Behavior . New York University researcher Dr. Perry N. Halkitis reported similar findings in 2009. Crystal meth use often encourages unsafe sex.
Thanks so much to Jamar Rogers for the great interview. You can catch up with Jamar Rogers at Facebook and Twitter. Read the article HERE.
You May Have Missed:
Jamar Rogers Discusses Being HIV+, Recovery from Addiction
The State of HIV/AIDS in Black America [EBONY]
AIDS 2012: Black Gay Men Face "World's Highest" Risk of HIV
love this guy even MORE!
Posted by: iama{GAY}tekeeper | 15 February 2013 at 14:10
Electrifying!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMozErfXYlM
BTW, who's his keyboardist? He's smokin',too!
Posted by: iban4yesu | 21 February 2013 at 11:04