Petrelis Files

LA HIV Expert Ken Howard on Gay Meth Ads

My friend Ken Howard, LCSW, of Los Angeles, someone who's long proposed effective ways of improving HIV social marketing campaigns, this morning shared with me his reactions to the latest anti-meth ads targeting gay men in the Golden State.

California last year allocated $11M for the media campaign to blanket gay neighborhoods and web-site, but additional monies were not provided to expand access to meth addiction treatment services. Am I only one who thinks the lobbyists at the SF AIDS Foundation, who were behind getting the state dollars for the ads, should have instead worked to get those millions for treatment programs to help speed users get off the drug?

Ken has extensive history helping the LA gay community grapple with mental health issues, and when he speaks, I listen.

And Ken's not the only gay man unhappy with the meth ads. According to SFist.com claimed recently that the ads blanketing the Castro Street Muni station were being re-decorated with comments and graffiti. Click here to see some of the messages placed on the ads.

What Ken has to say about the latest meth ads:

I'm irritated, once again, by yet another large, expensive, "social marketing" campaign that essentially says nothing, does nothing. "I Lost Me to Meth" promotes the idea that meth can be harmful. Is there anyone that does NOT respond to this campaign with, "Duh!".

Once again, the "social marketing" campaign calls attention to a problem (Good!) without giving the public or its target population (gay men) any information on what to actually DO about it (Bad!). Depicting sick-looking, drawn, gay men (many of whom are of color) in the ads just further promotes the idea of gay men as sick, addicted, pathetic, helpless, weak, defeated, and value-less.

As a gay male psychotherapist who spends much of his day helping gay men who are addicted to crystal meth overcome it (through their counseling in my office and through the 12-Step program nearby), I want to see resources in our community spent on promoting positive steps and positive images/resources, not scare-tactics with vague, melodramatic, alliterative slogans that do nothing to educate, but plenty to stigmatize.

OK, yes, it does refer readers to the www.MeNotMeth.org website, which does contain resources which are useful if one A) Goes to the website, and B) Clicks on the Resources tab and reads the names/phone numbers of local resources and some very good social service agencies. But how many people who see the billboards do this, as opposed to just seeing another drug-addict gay man of color?

First (a couple of years ago), AIDS Healthcare Foundation depicted gay Black men in diapers in the "HIV: Not Fabulous" campaign, now we have gay Black men depicted as dope fiends. You think maybe there is a connection between this and racism in West Hollywood (and other gay neighborhoods) nationwide?

It sends a message to White, Straight America that not only are the dope fiends in our midst all gay men, it more specifically is the Black gay men who are the vectors of scourge and plague in our "innocent" community (it couldn't POSSIBLY be that any White Straight Women use meth, could it?).

Once again, the image of the sad, down-and-out innocent who got caught up in the scourges of our community (HIV, meth) is supposed to be a "warning" to those tempted to try meth to stop before they start. Not a bad sentiment, but what images REALLY motivate someone to not try meth if they don't already do it, and to stop using it if they already do? Is it sad, dark, pathetic pictures?

Or is it perhaps -- just maybe -- POSITIVE images of healthy gay men who utilized certain resources to overcome meth addiction, are now physically and mentally healthy, and with a certain "If I did it, you can, too, and here's how" slogan, so that down-and-out meth addicts who see the billboards actually have a sense of hope and are motivated to action to save themselves?

Recently, in West Hollywood, a 29 year old gay man (White) named Hunter committed suicide, reportedly over despondency and hopelessness that he would never get over his addiction to meth. This event also happened to coincide with the first appearance of the billboard at La Cienega and Santa Monica in West Hollywood. Connection? Maaaaaaybe. Do we need billboards that exacerbate hopelessness, shame, stigma, and helplessness, or do we need ones that inform, educate, and inspire? If Hunter had seen a hopeful billboard, would he have killed himself, or would he have gotten a spark of hope that might have motivated him to seek further treatment? Maaaaaaybe.

I don't know the answer -- but after seeing MORE images of gay men -- particularly gay men of color -- being denigrated on HUGE billboards in gay neighborhoods for all the straight people to see -- I'm sure as hell going to ask the question.

When the denial of equal gay rights is the law of the land -- such as the withholding the right of gay and lesbian Californians to marry -- could it possibly be that such public, negative images of our community are partially to blame? Maybe. I don't know. But I'm sure as hell going to ask the question.