This Sunday marks the 30th anniversary of AIDS. It’s also the 26th annual AIDS Walk Boston.

I can’t blame you if you’re wondering why you should care. After all, a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS is no longer a death sentence. We know how the virus is transmitted and, let’s face it, it’s a preventable illness.

But here’s why I still care and why you should, too.

Three decades into this epidemic, gay and bisexual men are 44 times more vulnerable to HIV infection than the general population. In many urban areas, HIV and AIDS remains the greatest health threat to gay and bisexual men. Last September, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a report on HIV infection showing that 19% of the 8,153 gay and bisexual men surveyed from 21 metropolitan areas, including Boston, were HIV-positive. The specific numbers for Boston were one in eight. 

Think about that: one in eight gay and bisexual men in Boston are HIV positive. 

Now think about this: the CDC estimates that one in four transgender women are HIV-positive. One. In. Four. 

It’s tempting to blame those who are positive for their plight. After all, it’s not exactly a secret how HIV is transmitted and it doesn’t take much to stay safe. But a better use of our energy might be to ask why gay and bisexual men, and transgender women, are so vulnerable to infection in the first place. 

Consider the story of Dustin Kight, which we published in the paper last week. Dustin recounted his first sexual experience at age 16 with an older man during which he had unprotected sex. Dustin worked up the courage to tell his mother that he needed an HIV test (what fun that must have been in a small South Carolina town in 2000). The wait for results was the longest two weeks of his life. It turns out that he was negative. And he’s remained negative ever since. But Dustin knows that he’s lucky. Because all it takes to change your life forever is one bad decision, one drink too many, or one self-destructive binge.

For many reasons, the LGBT community is simply more vulnerable to conditions that make it easier to make poor decisions. A Massachusetts Department of Health report released in 2009 found that the "health profile of gay and lesbian residents was poorer than that of heterosexual residents in the following domains: lifetime sexual assault victimization; 30‐day binge drinking and substance use; asthma; and type 2 diabetes." And transgender residents also had worse outcomes in terms of anxiety and depression. 

The report concluded that "stigma" is easily connected "with poor health outcomes." Higher rates of HIV among gay and bisexual men -- particularly gay and bi men of color -- as well as transgender women should not surprise us. 

We need to do something about it. You can start by supporting the AIDS Action Committee. AIDS Action is the largest HIV/AIDS service organization in Massachusetts and provides services to one in six people in Massachusetts living with a diagnosis of HIV. It does specific outreach to gay and bi men via The MALE Center, to transgender women viaTransCEND, and to LGBT youth via the drop-in center Youth on Fire.

If you aren’t walking this Sunday, consider giving money to someone who is. 

I already have. 

You can donate online at http://bit.ly/jufJyA.