Hard-to-Reach or Hardly Reached? The “Difficulty” of Engaging Cisgender Black Females in Sexual Health Research

Rather than placing the onus on stigmatized and disenfranchised communities as hard-to-reach in sexual health research, we challenge researchers to recognize and provide outreach to populations who are hardly reached, such as cisgender Black women. We posit that the disparate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates experienced by Black women in the USA are due in part to social and structural inequities and lack of researcher outreach within these communities. Social inequities give rise to racial and gender discrimination, which often results in structural barriers that researchers may not acknowledge. Structural barriers include medical mistrust and lack of access to preventative sexual health services, health care, education, and other resources. To achieve health equity, researchers must engage with Black women to understand the unique struggles they face and intervene with non-stigmatizing, culturally appropriate interventions. Interventions must utilize gatekeepers, influencers, community organizations, community advisory boards, and peer support. It is critical that sexual health researchers reach out to those who do not fall under the traditional hard-to-reach category but are hardly reached to counteract the current projection that 1 in 32 Black women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime.