30 year old Keith “Keyoko” Sumlin (pictured) was arrested in Florida and charged with with attempted second-degree murder and criminal transmission of the AIDS virus, along with additional charges involving sex with a 15-year-old boy. From the police reports both the victim and Sumlin lied about their ages to each other before having unprotected sex.
According to Pembroke Pines, Florida police department reports, the teen learned of Sumlin’s HIV status after he discussed their sexual encounter with a friend. The victim met Sumlin via a mobile phone app and invited him to his home where they had sex. The friend informed the teen that Sumlin was HIV positive and had secret videos on a Facebook page that showed him having unprotected sex with other underage boys.
Shocked by this news the victim told his mother who got him tested and discovered the teen was HIV positive. This information is what led to Mr. Sumlin’s arrest. Police believe there are other victims and encourage them to call Pembroke Pines police at 954-436-3200.
Since the news broke, Sumlin’s Facebook page has been filled with love, prayers and support from friends and family
I was once 15 years old. I had sex with girls my own age, drank alcohol, skipped school, and committed theft. I also was arrested and went to jail. At 15, I would not have dreamed of inviting a unknown adult man or woman into my home (where my family lives) to have sex.
From a young age most of us are taught that if you are home alone and you answer the phone, you don’t let the person on the other end know you are home by yourself. Also if you are home alone you don’t answer or open the door for strangers.
I remember lying at 15 telling girls I was 16, but lying on a mobile phone app to adult male strangers across the internet telling them I am a legal consenting adult seeking sex, goes into a more serious and dangerous realm.
This story is terrifying to me. Not because of the sick sexual HIV spreading predators that are lurking in our mist, but because of what is going on in the minds of our young homosexual or bisexual black boys that the actions that lead up to this particular situation are becoming normal.
In this story, both of the young boys knew of the same man. I’m sure both knew of the mobile phone app in which they uploaded profiles and chatted or solicited sex with older men. One knew of an online forum where an adult male was posting videos having unprotected sex with underage boys.
For the two young boys in question, were did the source or the knowledge come from to find this particular video forum and mobile phone app? Also according to the police report, there are videos of other underage teenage boys having unprotected sex with this one particular man?
What was the method used and how did the other young boys in the videos get in contact with Sumlin and what lead to them having video-taped unprotected sex? This also means there are other young boys out there who may be HIV positive and could be having unprotected sex with others right now.
All of this also reminds me of the CDC report advising that new HIV infections occurred among young black bi/homosexual men (between the ages of 13 – 29) than any other age and racial group of bi/homosexual men in 2009.
In addition, new HIV infections among young black bi/homosexual men increased by 48% from 2006–2009.
Could this be a window into how young black boys between 13 to 17 years of age are becoming infected?
Do we need to have a different type of educational outreach program specifically for this group? Obviously the parents of both boys (and perhaps all the other boys as well) were not and are not checking their sons phones or computers. Which also leads me to think neither had any parental blocks or parental protection on any devices.
The reports don’t mention anything about the boy’s father. It says he told his mother and the mother called the police. Is she a single parent and are there any positive male influences around?
Was this young boy seeking male companionship, attempting to use sex to fill a void, or just looking to get a raw nut and if so why?
Why are we not more concerned and protective of our young black homosexual boys? Why do some older homosexual men like Mr. Sumlin view them as sexual conquests to be made victims?
At any rate, now this family has new challenges. From speaking with police and lawyers. Having to sit through a trial for the defendant. Going through counseling and therapy. Education on HIV and viral maintenance from doctors and nurses. The costly (per month) HIV medications, etc.
Outside of wearing a condom, were there any other ways this could have been prevented?
This type of irresponsibility and self destructive behavior happens within all ages, sexes, races and classes.
Many adults conduct themselves the same way with the same tragic results.
One recent example was the arrest of the married Georgia pastor Craig Davis who spread HIV to females in the church congregation.
Dunn also stated “So you think you just gonna give me HIV and then kick me to the curb? That’s not how this is about to happen and … I just took it there and she’s no longer alive.” The father of Ms. Bolden’s son stated that she has had HIV for a couple of years but did not know how she contracted it.
It also makes me think, what kind of behavior was this mother instilling in her two children? Dunn says the two had been having unprotected sexual relations for about a month after meeting on a chat line, when she broke the news about her HIV status.
He says he thought she was healthy because she was fit and attractive and was stunned she kept the virus a secret. “If you know, how could you not tell someone? That is just cold-blooded.”
By the way, Larry Dunn was cheating on his wife. He is married and also has children.
Who you are right now is the result of your past thoughts and actions. What past thoughts influenced the actions for these people to be dishonest and not disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners?
What past thoughts influenced the recipients’ actions to willingly allow themselves to be put in harm’s way to contract HIV?
We go to school to become educated. We get taught how to read and write. We go to college to get specialized degrees and are taught to become engineers, doctors, and lawyers. But who teaches us how to be people? Who teaches us how to love ourselves, respect ourselves and have confidence in ourselves so we will not put ourselves in harm’s way through poor choices and irresponsible actions?
Regardless of age, it takes more than condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV.
It takes the changing of mind sets.
OckyDub
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Wow!!! I had a recent convo with a friend regarding something similar to this. A lot of young black males are having consensual sex with older men with the mindset “age ain’t nothing but a number”. To me, I feel like younger males are attracted to older ones due to “maturity” and resources (liquor, a car, money, own place)…things they don’t have access too. This is something I believe is being taught or just being plain ole thirsty. It’s a scary thought!
Yes it is scary. Its also scary that black people continue to suffer from HIV/AIDS in disproportionate numbers over any other group.
ALL I CAN SAY IS LORD HAVE MERCY ON ALL OF US. WE ALL HAVE DONE DUPID THINGS IN LIFE,AND HAVE POOR CHOICES BAD CHOICES,GOOD CHOICES. REGARDLESS THE CHOICES WE MADE WE HAVE TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCE. BE OUR CHOICE WE OWN OUR OWN OO LISTENING TO OTHER.WOW! IT IS SAD DAM HAVE NOT EVEN TO BEING TO EXPERIENCE LIFE. THEN YOU HAVE THOUGH THAT YOU CANT TELL THERE HOUNG ASS NOTHING. THEN ITS THOSE WHO THINK THEY KNOW ABOUT LIFE AND DONT KNOW IT.THEN HOU HAVE THOSE WHO RULES AND LAWS DONT APPLY TO THEM UNTIL IT LATE. THEN ITS THOSE LIKE MYSELF WHO BEEN OU THEIR FOR YEARS. DOING ALL TYPES OF THINGS FROM SELLING ALL TYPES OF DRUGS.STEALING WHORING.DRINKING SNORTING.SMOKING.PILLS HASH.AND MORE JUST TO NAME A FEW.BUT I THANK GOD ALMIGHTY.CAUSE I WAS MARRIED AND HAVINF NUMEROUS RELATIONSHIPS.CANT EVEN BEGIB TO COUNT THE MENS OVER 20YRS PLUS BENG OUT THIER GOD KEPT HIS HAND ON MY BODY STILL NEGATIVE THANK YOU JESUS.THANK YOU JESUS.THANK YOU JESUS.HALLEJUHA.OH BLESS HIS NAME ITS LET ME THAT I AM NOT MISSING NOTHING IN THEM DAM STREETS. CAUSE I DAM SHOW WOULD NOT LISTEN TO NO DAM BODY EITHER.GOD KEPT ME BUT.GOD. HAVE MERCY GOD IS A HEALER.
I pray for his family and his soul
Intelligence or lack of it. That is what this all comes down to.
In theory yes but imo I think experiences also play a huge part into the mistakes we make (often in our youth) and how we deal with them. I remember being young, being in atl for college and being on my own for the first time. Having grown up in a sheltered environment there was alot I personally did not know and frankly had to learn the hard way (not everyone’s story but whether it be relationships, sex, finances, friends, w/e I am sure we all would do some things differently looking back).
(1/4) This was an extremely interesting article. As an HIV/AIDS activist and an HIV Educator that is also a gay black HIV+ male, I can understand several perspectives from reading this article. Before giving my opinion I want to make it clear that I am not an extremist, meaning my opinion may apply to many, but NOT ALL! I am also not in agreement with the age difference in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!!! In my opinion I strongly feel young African American gay/bi males deal with the struggle of being gay by seeking personal and sexual fulfillment in an attempt to search for love. This search often results in engaging in random anonymous sex for instant gratification. To fully comprehend this phenomenon we must look at the average environment that many AAMSM (African American Men that have sex with Men) go through. Many of them do not find acceptance at home due to their sexuality and many have the spiritual battle of being gay because of the response, or the lack thereof, of the African American church. Collectively as an institution, the church has failed the lives of the many African American gay/bi men that have sought refuge in the “hospital” that the church was designed to be. From the stories that I encounter with my clients, from AAMSM that I continue to test, and from personal experiences, I realize when the social institutions that meet our basic needs are functionally disrupted, choas is created in our lives. This chaos often results in trauma. People want to be loved.
(2/4) People want the feeling that their social environment is able to handle the dynamics of their existence. People do not want to be placed in a “Condoning” box but to be showered with love, regardless of sexuality. Afterall, sex acts are only a minut portion of the lifestyle of homosexuals regardless of the picture that mainstream media paints of gay black males. Acceptance can be shown through love and there are several supporting examples in the Bible to suggest such, but that’s another topic. Another importance concept is that adolscense is the stage of human development in which sexual exploration is common. Teens, regardless of sexuality, explore sex and often are infected with STDs because of improper condom use or through unprotected sex. This is often a result of the poor educational system of many governments, specifically those that mandate abstinence over comprehensive sex education. Also some parents are not equipped with the skills to teach their children about sex and teens find their answers from each other, a huge problem that perpetuates STDs, HIV/AIDS, and other high risk behaviors. I’m not sure what the law is in FL, but I’m sure this young guy didn’t think that this exploration would have resulted in his diagnosis. Many teens have the attitude of being invincible, so he probably never thought this would happen to him, as we hear this from many teens.
(3/4) Also, I’m not sure what the timespan is that occurred from the sexual intercourse with the adult until his diagnosis but from reading this article, it implies that the teen consulted with his mother after finding out the status of the adult partner. (I’m reading as if this was a short timeframe) If this was a short time frame from unprotected intercourse to the diagnosis then I begin to question the status of the teen from the start. No one is infected with HIV and is able to test HIV positive overnight; nor within hours, nor days. The seroconversion process can take weeks and sometimes months. If this teen tested positive within days from the initial unprotected sex then it make me wonder was this guy already positive. Was he used to engaging in unprotected sex with guys while his parent was not home? Could Sumlin be one of many? I’m not sure…but science suggests that a period of time is needed for the body to build up antibodies to detect HIV. I’m not sure if this teen had enough time to blame his infection on Sumlin, but then again the article doesn’t provde that information. In closing and in my opinion, no one is to blame for this situation. Human behavior is hard to explain and understand so instead of focusing on the why, we should shift out thinking to understanding the social determinants of behavior and focus on how we can shift the negative impacts that values, beliefs, and attitudes have on behavior and begin to resolve these matters. There is still…
(4/4) sooo much stigma, oppression, and discrimination in the lives of AAMSM, that’s also engulfed with trauma, that the “why” is the least of concerns. The questions should be “How” can this be changed? I am a leader in the community that I work with and am apart of the movement everyday; but I realize that there is resistence within this community on the many interventions that have been designed for them. Many participants understand the concepts of the interventions and are able to grasps the material, however they are then forced to return to the same environment that influences their social behavior with expectations that the new concepts will work in their environment. We can not expect different results doing the same thing!!! Our community is hurting and extensive research is needed to ascertain the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in the lives of many AAMSM and I strongly feel this can be done by understanding the environment in which they live and change the dysfunctionality of these social systems that continue to add to the hurt and pain of their existence. The same hurt and pain that ravages their lives and causes their self-confidence, judgment, and self-efficacy the be jeopardized, simply from their “coming out” process. The experiences that an individual has with their “coming out” impacts their developmental trajectory as they attempt to live in an environment that refuses to acknowledge their existence nor meets their needs.
“That’s right. A single mother potentially infected her boyfriend with HIV on purpose.”
Your statement (above) is misleading, I wouldn’t say she did it on purpose, she was probably scared. Disclosing one’s status is a VERY difficult thing to do. I have been positive 28 years and have meet many people who struggle with disclosure. It is very difficult for a woman who is taking medications and has a low HIV viral load to pass the virus to a guy, it does happen but it is very rare. However, he has a responsibility to himself to put on a damn condom. Only 1 in 6 people living with HIV actually know their status? That means there are many people having sex who have no idea they are living with HIV. I personally am very open about my status and having been dating a guy for the past 10 years who is negative. Educating young black men to wear a condom is the best option otherwise the numbers will continue as they do
“I wouldn’t say she did it on purpose, she was probably scared.”
HORRIBLE AND DISGUSTING STATEMENT! An adult that KNOWS they are HIV positive and has knowingly and willingly has unprotected sex with others is not a damn accident. What type of logical thinking person makes a statement like this? She knew she had it.
If its hard disclosing your status due to internal emotions, stop having sex until you can disclose your status to your potential partners. What the hell is wrong with people?! The responsibility of an HIV/AIDS infected person disclosing their status before they have sex begins and ends with them. Diversionary talk to foolishness. WTF