Chicago’s ‘Healthy Gays’ HIV Ads Defaced

“The ads were meant to tell Chicago that health issues for gay men are about more than HIV and AIDS. Gay men practice yoga, swim and meditate, too. But someone removed or taped over three key words in the ads on the back of CTA buses: Gay, sexy and healthy.
‘Clearly the words gay, sexy and healthy were provocative to some people,” said Jim Pickett, director of advocacy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. The posters show men doing yoga, meditating and swimming. They include the question: How are you healthy? And they also include the words gay, sexy and healthy. […] ‘We are not going to tolerate someone defacing ads and leaving them up,’ CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said. The vendor ‘and CTA have been told to be on the alert.’ Noting how quickly the ads were replaced, Pickett said the gay community has suffered worse indignities. Still, the vandalism was a reminder of the everyday hostility the gay community faces, he said.” [Chi Sun-Times]

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