When we heard about the LA Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s new “HIV is a Gay Disease” ad campaign, we couldn’t help but think about the faux-Rent scene from Team America. Do you remember, or have you killed too many brain cells to recall the puppet’s running around singing about how they all have AIDS?
In an effort to combat communal apathy to the disease, the center hopes their campaign will force gays to confront the disease head on, rather than head in – as in unprotected head in ass. Lorri L. Jean, whose role as the chief executive of the center puts her in the spotlight, says:
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.
Sure, the majority of infected LA folk may be gay, but the far-reaching consequences of this campaign extend far beyond the hell mouth that is Los Angeles, and many gay activists insist the Center’s over-stepped their bounds. 365 Gay reports:
“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.”
We’re not sure where we stand on this controversial marketing campaign. We’re all about AIDS awareness – we’d be complete idiots not to be – but this whole thing seems a bit, oh, we don’t know, tacky. We’d almost prefer “All Gays Have AIDS” or “See That Gay Person? They have AIDS and if you don’t run for your life, you’ll have it, too!” What’s your take, opinionated and oh-so-thoughtful readers?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Ernest
What the fu*k is that ad? AIDS is a gay disease? So are we going to start getting in to the Gay On Gay hate and then soon to follow Gay On Gay crimes? Whoever did that needs to be slapped shitless.
Ryan
My take? Anyone that gives a DIME to that organization should immediately stop and give it to a cause that will, you know… actually HELP reduce aids instead of calling us a bunch of faggots spreading the plague.
Aaron
Hmm sounds like fred phelps is making their ads. The center might as well have gone with such colorful ads as “HIV is God’s cure for the gay disease”
Frozen North
Don’t be stupid. What’s the percentage of Aides/HIV sufferers in the US who are gay? Most! It is a gay disease here, and if you’ve witnessed the number of profiles looking for bareback sex that are proliferating you’d see that apparently our community seems to have forgotten this point. Frankly, if you are going to withhold your money, I’d withhold it from HIV treatment centers. Afterall, why help someone who refuse to help themselves? HIV is a preventable disease; there is no reason for anyone to be getting these days (‘cept through the occasional accident.) Let’s spend our money on cancer research, it affects everyone and it’s only marginally preventable.
dParker2.0
This ad is a giant step backward. AIDS is not a “gay” disease, it’s a human disease. The ad will probably do nothing more than to help spread ignorance and homophobia.
bboy
Having just watched Frontline’s documentary on the progression of the AIDS pandemic, I am absolutely floored that a gay rights organization would choose to take a giant leap backward and reduce HIV/AIDS to a “gay disease.” While I understand the need to get folks to focus on the need for prevention, there are MANY other ways to do so other than forgetting about the tens of millions of people who ARE NOT GAY who have HIV/AIDS. This type of ad does little more than re-ghettoize a disease that activists spent over a decade making sure that the powers that be did NOT see as solely a gay disease.
Shame on you, LA Center, shame!
Mike
I think the ad campaign is brilliant. For one, look how many people are talking about it. After the 25th anniversary of HIV/AIDS, we got a week of coverage and then… nothing. Same ol’ same ol’. Something needs to shake us gay boys up and get us talking.
Now, the campaign could go very wrong and I agree that it should not say “HIV is a gay disease” on billboards around town – AND IT DOESN’T. That tagline has been targeted only to gay publications in LA (though a big miscalculatoin in the national media coverage, granted) and isn’t being put up anywhere else. Let’s not forget that this isn’t a national campaign. This is the LA Gay and Lesbian Center and meant for LA, where 75% of new infections are between men who have sex with men.
Besides, AIDS IS A GAY DISEASE. For Red-Staters and rural voters, the face of AIDS is still either gay or somewhere in Africa, if they think about it at all. We gay men still lead the charge for better healthcare and treatment options in the US and were it not for the tireless work of organizations like Gay Men’s Health Crisis, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and AIDS Healthcare Foundation, among others, we would still have few options to offer people with HIV. Own it, End it.
Jex
It’s a good idea, but a flawed one. There does need to be more responsibility, but it’s not a “gay disease” that almost says that only gays have it. Obviously people need to take more responsibility for perpetuating the disease, but to tarnish everyone one of us with the same brush is hardly reasonable.
Martini-boy
It should read more like “HIV affects gays, AND all other population groups on the face of this planet.” And there should be ads for all these groups. This ad can certainly give off the wrong impression and do more harm to the population in general, if people are to believe that it affects ONLY gays.
Also, I say that preventative measures should definitely be taught, alongside the development and history of the virus/disease — you know, all the biological hoo-ha that has so far given us an explanation of what the disease is and does. Why stop at prevention only? Why not include everything else? The more we know, the better off we’ll be…
Ian
I can see where the ad-makers are coming from. But what makes the ad wrong is imagining Jerry Falwell or any other of those ‘Christian’ fundamentalists jumping for joy over the PR weapon just handed to them on a plate.
Kyle
What you all fail to see, so often with creative writing and (poorly) stylized advertising, is that the word “is” is highlighted in white.
Now, the effect would have been muxh better in italics, but the emphasis is on the word “is”.
You’re all just reading, with no inflection:
Aids is a gay disease.
What they intended (poorly executed, unfortunately):
Aids IS a gay disease.
The point was to counteract the non-chalant, pass the buck, it’s not just our problem, way it’s been treated lately. Read into it:
This IS our problem and if nobody wants to help, then we have to fix it ourselves!
Now, I freely admit that the ad wasn’t pulled off to the greatest effect. While it’s creative, at a glance, it’s intended statement is obviously completely lost. This is where a print ad can lose something thet the vovcal inflection and facial expression of a radio/tv spot can emote quite effectively.
Pat
This ad campaign is a disgrace. Did ANYONE think about all of the people who fought (many who are now dead) to combat this falsehood? It seems that whoever approved this wasn’t around to hear politicians’ and journalists’ rants and gay baiting.