Petrelis Files

Stop AIDS Project:
Meeting HIV Prevention Needs of Gays?

I'm on a panel this coming Thursday at the gay community center, addressing the matters of gay health needs and social marketing campaigns. Click here for more info on the forum.

In order to be fully prepared for this important community discussion, I've been poking around the Stop AIDS Project web site, to understand their latest cutting-edge HIV prevention messages and campaigns. One thing that shocked me was some of their info on PEP wasn't current. This is from the agency's HIV 101 page:

If your exposure [to HIV] was within 72 hours, you could be eligible for a study that might prevent the virus from taking hold in your body. The study, called P.E.P., or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, would give you a course of anti-HIV medications that may decrease the odds of infection by 81%. Call 415-514-4737 (or 4PEP) for more info.

That phone number has been disconnected and there's no recording about what new number to call. I hate to think that someone at high-risk for HIV infection checks out Stop AIDS Project pages for PEP info, tries that number to get treated with PEP medications, hears that it's been disconnected, and gives up seeking help through PEP.

On the up side of good prevention info, the Stop AIDS Project does promote the anal condom as a tool to stop new infections.

Of questionable value is the latest Stop AIDS Project social marketing campaign, provoking gay men to question if they and their sex partners are "iffy" about knowing their HIV status. Sowing doubt and distrust about oneself and potential sex partners has been a primary message of the group since its inception, with no end in sight to the divisive campaigns.

Too bad the leaders at Stop AIDS Project are not investing precious HIV prevention dollars on ads educating sexually active gays about the anal condom. Why do such a campaign when we all know the surest way for a butt-bottom to acquire HIV is through unprotected intercourse? Imagine a reduction of new infections because HIV poz tops are engaging in anal sex with their bottoms wearing anal condoms! And all because this community-based group uses social marketing tactics to instill better and safer butt-sex practices.

We all know such a radical approach is not going to happen in the near future, or ever, if the careerists at Stop AIDS Project continue with their business as usual approach, but I'm hopeful they'll at least provide the correct telephone number to get PEP.