HIV is a Gay Disease?

[Yves]

Some additional background:

From Los Angeles Time (via SFGate.com)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/09/30/state/n024720D15.DTL&type=health
(09-30) 02:47 PDT Los Angeles (AP) --

One of Southern California's most influential gay institutions has launched a controversial ad campaign that describes HIV as a "gay disease."

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's departure from 20 years of countering the idea of AIDS as a gay plague is designed to reach gay men who have grown complacent about the illness.

The message "HIV is a gay disease" and the tag line "Own It. End It" will appear on billboards and in magazines.

The amount of attention from AIDS awareness groups paid on minority women and others has left gay men — who still represent most of those infected in the U.S. and Western Europe — feeling a false sense of security, proponents of the campaign said.

"A very alarming silence has descended over our community with regard to HIV and AIDS," said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Gay & Lesbian Center. "We believe that most people in our community do not understand the degree to which this epidemic continues to be in Los Angeles largely an epidemic among gay and bisexual men."

Apathy about AIDS among gay men is a serious problem on the West Coast, where most HIV transmission is among men having sex with other men, public health officials said.

The ads, however, have drawn criticism from some, who worry the campaign could further stigmatize the disease and make heterosexual men and women less likely to seek treatment.

"I applaud the desire to have more personal responsibility in the gay community, but this is not the way to achieve it," said Michael Weinstein, head of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "AIDS is not a gay disease. It's not an African American disease. It's not a Latino disease. It is a disease of the immune system."

In Los Angeles County, about 75 percent of HIV cases are among men who have had sex with other men. But nationwide, gay and bisexual men account for about half of recent HIV transmission, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Activist Cynthia Davis said the Gay & Lesbian Center's campaign could erase years of progress in erasing the stigma of AIDS among blacks, a community that is skittish about homosexuality and at high risk for the disease.

"This is ludicrous. It's ridiculous," Davis said. "It's going backward."

___


From UPI: "L.A. billboards say AIDS a 'gay' disease"
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060930-061024-2358r

Los Angeles, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Stunning passersby, billboards have sprung up around Southern California declaring, "HIV is a gay disease," adding the tag line "Own It; End It."

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, which paid for the billboards, has declared war on the fact that populations of homosexual men are slacking off in their vigilance against HIV and AIDS.

The campaign, which is also running in magazines, is a 180-degree turn from the years of politicking against stereotyping homosexuals as those most likely to become infected.

The Times said some AIDS counselors are worried the ad campaign will further stigmatize the disease and stack the deck against research funding.

Public health officials have noted that the overwhelming majority of HIV cases -- three out of four -- are among men engaging in sex with other men.

The head of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Michael Weinstein, denied to the Times that AIDS was a "gay" disease. "It is a disease of the immune system," he said.

 

[SilverRRCloud]

Obviously, highly controversial ad campaign, does what it promises to do: it causes a controversy.

Yet, telling people on billboards, that AIDS is a gay disease is actually more than a double-edged sword. Yup, you are drawing lots of attention. Equally so, you are fomenting disapproval of one particular group of people, while actually telling the others, they have nothing to worrry about: if they are not into m2m sex, and if they are not gay, they are not going to be affected.

On balance, very little is achieved by attempting to draw public attention based upon false premises.

---
I see, however, an ever increasing rise in bb around here. Especially among young guys, who do not remeber the 80's and even the 90's. They are now 18, or possibly even younger, have come out and feel very immune to anything that may happen to them.

Governments and health authorities in Europe, too have gone pretty complacent and there is very little funding for the continuous anti-Aids campaigning.

In the mid-term, thousands will die over the years, simply because few are making careers by cutting down on anti-Aids campaigns...

SC

 

[quasar]

What an absolutely disastrous move! One of the main reasons that funding has been forthcoming in most countries is that it was marketed as a disease that can affect gay AND straight people. Back in the 80s in the UK, there was a generic national campaign aimed at everyone, but there was also an intense campaign within the gay community.

I agree that the gay community has seemed to forget that it affects them (this has been proven by the incredible rise in STIs over the last few years - which indicates a massive drop in the use of condoms), but to label it as a 'gay disease' runs the risk of the 'straight' community replying with 'I told you so', and cutting the funding for research and care.

Furthermore, stereotyping it as a gay disease will surely lead young straight people into thinking they are immune. It will be interesting to see if there is a rise of HIV amongst them in the next couple of years.

It would have been far more sensible to run an intensive campaign within the gay communities instead of creating confusion amongst the general population.

Some of these marketing people are on another planet at times.

 

[Soilwork]

Quite honestly, I'll allow them to give this a try.

Being from LA myself, I see countless young men engaging in unsafe sex.. they think it's no big deal.. they think that HIV is someone else's disease, they think that they're immune.

If we maybe smack them upside the head.. they might even grow up and start to be a bit more responsible.

Hey, saying that everyone is at risk certianly hasn't helped... let's give this a whirl.

 

[justsimon]

I agree with the intent behind the campaign. There is way too much apathy in the gay community. But it seems like a much better ad campaign would be to have a variety of billboards: "HIV is a gay disease," "... straight disease," "... world disease," etc.

 

[Soilwork]

There's a new strain of HIV that's drug resistant and is called the "killer" strain because it kills within a year of being infected.

That's not actually true. It's more of an Urban Legend.

That was a Law and Order Episode and the info was based on a man who had progressed very fast. But he's bounced back and his T-cell nubmer stabalized and he's just being treated with regular drugs now.

 

[MadeUpName27]

I agree with the intent behind the campaign. There is way too much apathy in the gay community. But it seems like a much better ad campaign would be to have a variety of billboards: "HIV is a gay disease," "... straight disease," "... world disease," etc.

I'm very uncomfortable with the expression "Gay Disease."

I'm old enough to remember that AIDS was originally called GRID - Gay Related Immune Disease by the Centers for Disease Control.

I'm also old enough to remember assholes like Falwell and Helms suggesting the use of "Isolation Camps" to protect the rest of society from "our" disease.

I guess that these people aren't...

 

[justsimon]

I'm very uncomfortable with the expression "Gay Disease."

I'm old enough to remember that AIDS was originally called GRID - Gay Related Immune Disease by the Centers for Disease Control.

I'm also old enough to remember assholes like Falwell and Helms suggesting the use of "Isolation Camps" to protect the rest of society from "our" disease.

I guess that these people aren't...

While I'm not old enough to remember that point in time, I do know about it and have known about it since I was very young. I hope you weren't quoting my post as an example of the ignorance of youth. Allow me to expand on my first post.

My previous post came from my knowledge of advertising. While I personally question the use of the term "gay disease," especially in an HIV awareness program, I do understand the reasoning. I didn't intend to imply that I think it was the best idea (or even a good idea) for an advertising campaign, only that if they are going to continue with it, a way to make it more effective and less offensive to gay men would be to include other groups and the world.

I think history has proven that most people will not react to a problem unless it's shoved in their face and they are shown a way in which it directly affects them. Saying HIV is "your disease" is one way of doing that.

Now, I personally don't like the campaign. I think it fuels homophobia, external and internal. I also think it ignores the fact that HIV is as widespread and nondiscriminating as it is. It's an offensive campaign that is likely to create more shame than positive results. But it may create a dialogue of some kind. And talking about something is almost always better than ignoring it.

 

[theblackajah]

Very, very bad idea. Whoever thought up the ad campaign did not properly balance the PROs and CONs of the concept. Sure, you save people's lives, but what's the point if you decrease their cultural and societal acceptance level?

 

[cocktales]

NO it's NOT a Gay disease!

I also see what these people are trying to do and if the rest of the U.S. and world take this attitude, the funding for finding drugs/cures, will come to a complete STOP before you know it!!!

Dammit, even though gays may NOT fear the disease anymore, it WILL kill you; or if it does NOT kill you, you will suffer the side-effects of those fucking drugs that are so very toxic to the human system........yeah, it tends to keep the T-cells up and the viral loads down; but you also feel like shit, look like shit and have NO quality of life anymore, my friends!!!

I see Gay people ALL the time during the meals-on-wheels thingy and they are NOT ALL thriving; and those who are are NOT doing well with the drugs because of the side effects and all!

People, please take care of yourselves and your partners when you have sex outside of known disease free places! That includes almost ALL people you meet and surely those you do NOT know what their sexual habits are!

Sorry to rant; but I fear for fellow JUBBERS out there who are NOT too savy with this fucking disease!

Forgive me for the soap box!

 

[Christopher123]

Some guy I know swears by the 'rule' (his own rule, no doubt) that because homosexuality is "a sin", that AIDS was created by God as punishment to us.

He sincerely believes this. He needs psychological help.

 

[Christopher123]

^ Or maybe find a new church/religion and hangout with a more accepting crowd.

This guy is very hateful. And he says this stuff while I'm around and within earshot because he knows I'm gay. You know the type - they don't have the balls to say it directly to your face but they make sure you hear it. He's a serious bigot. He reminds me of my (late) father. Which is why I never talked to my dad about anything, including coming out to him, because hell, he disowned me long ago anyway. Just because of the company I kept. He didn't like my friends, he thought they were all freaks.

I probably would have caused him an even earlier death (by coronary) if I would have said, "Well you know what dad? I'm a fag. How's that for some news, eh?"

He would've dropped over right there.

Sorry, I'm rambling, didn't mean to hijack the thread. Ignore my tangent, please

 

[irish1]

I think that the campaign is focussed toward complacency about AIDS.

I really took notice of the thread title, and I think I would have done the same with the billboards.

It would be great if other "at risk" groups were also targeted, but I think that this campaign was created from a concern about a less heightened awareness of the risks involved with unprotected sex.

Rather than consider the tactic, consider the positive outcome that can occur from this campaign.