A sense of urgency pulsed through a large meeting room at Gay Men’s Health Crisis in Chelsea last Wednesday night. Dozens of men of color were seated in a semi-circle to face a table at which six panelists sat, discussing issues facing gay men of color who are HIV positive.

The event was part of a discussion series sponsored by GMHC called Lives at Stake. This installment focused on black gay men and HIV in New York and around the world, and it was held in conjunction with World AIDS Day 2007, which was commemorated on Saturday.

The panelists took turns broaching difficult topics with a candidness that seemed much appreciated among the fervent crowd, who listened attentively to every word spoken.

Robert Miller, a black HIV-positive man who is on the faculty at the University at Albany, talked about spirituality and what it means for gay men, and how it can help them cope with an HIV-positive status. He said that spirituality helps people reconnect.

Three lawmakers have sued the state to demand that it keep the emergency room at Victory Memorial Hospital open, even if the rest of the medical center is forced to close down.

State Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge), Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge) and Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) put aside partisan bickering on Tuesday to file a lawsuit against the Department of Health that seeks to reverse a state decision to close the financially strapped hospital.

“We have no other choice but to pursue legal action to force the state to do the right thing for our community,” said Fossella.

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Victory Memorial Hospital appears to be on its deathbed: The 107-year-old Bay Ridge institution announced sweeping layoffs last week and could be shuttered by Feb. 1.

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