In a cramped meeting room in New York City, a dozen gay men, HIV positive and negative alike, came together to answer a vexing question: How do gay men bridge a divide that has been forged through decades of HIV stigma, distrust, and mutual blame? Or, at the very least, what might be done to start a conversation about the divide and begin to heal the wounds?
Convened by Avram Finkelstein, the HIV-negative artist who was part of the collective that created the SILENCE=DEATH designs in the 1980s, and Mark S. King, the HIV-positive blogger and advocate, the Viral Divide Flash Collective sought to begin a difficult conversation and find a graphic way to present it. The collective was sponsored by Visual AIDS and made possible through funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and GMHC.
A “flash collective” is an exercise in artistic advocacy involving group facilitation and the common pursuit of a graphic message to communicate a concept for the public sphere. In other words, the gathering of gay men had mere hours to discuss the HIV viral divide, vent their frustrations about their lives and each other, and then find common ground. It was, in a word, intense.
Before the group even finished their breakfast bagels, the walls of the room were covered in reams of butcher paper scrawled with concerns.
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Important issues were raised about race, privilege, and the science driving the new HIV landscape. Again and again, the group talked through these concerns and then returned to their primary purpose of crafting a message about the viral divide among gay men.
“This message is the first sentence in a conversation,” Avram Finkelstein reminded the collective throughout the day. “It does not have to tell the entire story. It is meant as the starting point for important conversations.”
The result, HIV ÷, features the tagline, “The virus divides. It doesn’t have to. No walls between gay men.” The graphic image includes an animation that outlines the various ways in which the divide affects gay men: age, joy, relationships, sex, race, and love.
And the graphic image has an impressive coming out party on the way. It will be projected onto the façade of the Bronx Museum on July 13, 2016, as part of the opening of ART AIDS AMERICA, a retrospective of AIDS-related art through the years. The Illuminators, most widely known for their work projecting graphic messages on the New York City skyscape on behalf of Occupy Wall Street, will coordinate the projection. The work of the Viral Divide Flash Collective is viewed by the museum as the very latest in a history of AIDS artwork that dates back more than thirty years.
The Viral Divide Flash Collective has set up a Tumblr page featuring images of the artwork and from their day together. Images of the projection onto the Bronx Museum will be added after the event on July 13. Anyone is welcome to post their thoughts on the Tumblr page or to share the images on social media.
The HIV ÷ message comes just as gay men are grappling with a host of new scientific realities that are altering the social landscape.
The increased adoption of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has re-energized activists and provided a way for HIV negative gay men to participate fully in their own HIV prevention. Meanwhile, research has definitively shown that people living with HIV who are on treatment and maintain an undetectable viral load have no chance of infecting their sex partners. A new group, Prevention Access Campaign, is aggressively promoting the message that undetectable HIV positive people pose no risk to others.
It would appear that now more than ever, gay men can relieve themselves of the social walls that have divided them along the lines of their sero status. The HIV ÷ graphic message is only a small part of that effort.
After so many years of mortal fear, irrational and otherwise, bridging the viral divide will surely be easier said than done. The members of the Viral Divide Flash Collective believe they have started the conversation. It will be up to countless others to continue it.
Members of the collective, pictured at top, included Mark S. King, Bryson Rose, Damon L. Jacobs, Charles Sanchez, Frederick Weston, Bruce Ward, James Krellenstein, Alex Wilson, Durell Knights, Jordan Eagles, Leo Herrera, Avram Finkelstein, and Jawanza James Williams.
AtticusBennett
frankly, it’s amazing how many guys still think “safe sex” means “i don’t hook up with guys who are poz”
couldn’t be further from the truth. people don’t get HIV from guys who are open about their Poz status. they get it from going unprotected with a guy that they think is “negative”
Brian
The “gay community” contains a segment of men who love being victims. They love the self-imposed victimhood of the HIV virus. I’m surprised many of them have not engraved “I love HIV” on their foreheads.
These men wallow in their promiscuous choices which led to them acquiring HIV. Then they seek to blame others for the poor choices they made in life. Subsequently, they wallow in the “poor, poor pitiful me” image put out by the media. But don’t believe them – they’re actually enjoying themselves.
ErikO
This still is not going to change the fact that a lot of men who are HIV+ and know it lie about it or claim that they’re “undetectable and on meds so it’s fine to do it raw”, or that a lot of gay men who are neg actually believe that they can take PreP/Truvada and have all the bareback sex they want and still remain HIV neg, or they’re not on toxic Truvada at all and don’t use condoms yet believe that “HIV simply can’t happen to me!”.
ErikO
This is also not going to change the fact that a lot of HIV neg men avoid or try to avoid having sex with HIV+ men.
JerseyMike
@Brian: SHUT UP!! You sound so ignorant..
JerseyMike
@AtticusBennett: Great response.. we all have been with someone who is poz.. I had a partner for 5 yrs who was poz and I never got it. I knew from day one. I was able to make good choices about the sex we had. When you know you take more precautions than when you are dealing with someone who lies, don’t know their status.
single4life
Bottom line….practice safe sex! I don’t care how hot your are or how bad you want to get with me. I will protect my health at all costs.
@Brian…yes there are but they are a very very small fraction. Like anything it takes all kinds.
Dave Downunder
Rather than a discussion on the divide it is creating how about reigniting the discussion on how to reduce the rate of infection. The number of new cases is not going down particularly for the younger demographic. Obviously relying on individuals to modify their behaviour to help reduce the number of people living with HIV is not working. The message of prevention has been diluted over the years and the younger guys who weren’t around in the beginning are paying the price.
Bob LaBlah
I do mean from the bottom of my heart that there lies a very cynical message in those pictures in this article. It is plainly obvious what message is being sent and I think now is NOT the time to start this shit amongst ourselves. I am referring to recent events across the country. And now THIS from our own community?
Yes, this son of the south sees thru this bullshit and I know I am on the money with my criticism of its timing and obvious message it is sending. If it was planned in advance it should have been cancelled until things cool down. Only a knucklehead can’t see just what it is stirring up amongst us now.
DCguy
OK, to go completely off topic, but why, in any group of gay men who are supposed to be meeting up for something good or powerful is there always the random douchebag who shows up in a tank top?
gayhope1990
Not all HiV+ were contaminated due to sex.Babies can be HiV+ if their mother is Hiv+ and they must live with the AIDS all their life.Heroine or bad sex partners can cause that.We can all catch AIDS so it’s useless to blame someone.The gay community must be helpful and nice with the Hiv+ people,their life is already hard.
ted72
@DCguy: It was probably a casual meeting. What I noticed that there was not a single Asian in that meeting. Just my observation…
curan
Another big question for me is HIV-related cognitive decline. Few medications penetrate the blood-brain barrier, and destruction of microglia and astrocytes continues unabated for years. This means something in a relationship. I’m not sure that I’m down for it.
ErikO
@Dave Downunder: Very true, younger gay men have the mentality that they can fuck anyone raw or just take PreP and that they’ll stay “neg”. HIV rates are going to skyrocket even higher than they already are now among gay men.
Bob LaBlah
@gayhope1990: “Not all HiV+ were contaminated due to sex.”
There were THOUSANDS of people who were infected with the virus during the 1980’s via blood transfusions in hospitals. Back then there was no screening process for the nations blood supply. This looks more aimed at a certain minority group to me and its very hard to believe I am the only one who sees that. What gets me is the timing of this shit. Considering the mentality of the younger gays here in America I am not surprised at all none of them can see thru just what this is.
johnnyboy1988
@Brian: This is a very sweeping assumption to make, and innaccurate in my experience. The HIV positive men I know mostly feel a deep, personal shame and regret due to their status, tho some of them acquired it in ways that were not just due to promiscuous behavior.
Stache
@ErikO: They can take PreP and stay negative. I know that doesn’t fit your soap box moment but the statistics don’t lie.
ErikO
@Stache: LOL says who? You? PreP and barebacking is a sure way to become HIV+ as well as get infected with other STDs. Truvada or PreP is supposed to be used with condoms but nobody does that but these people are idiots with death wishes.
ErikO
@Bob LaBlah: Yes this does seem as though it’s aimed towards black gay men but they are one of the highest rates of new infections here in the United States.
DCguy
@ErikO:
I’m not sure I understand where you are getting your information. The infection rate for people using that drug is hovering around zero. In fact, when they thought one person had become infected while using it, it was such a big deal that it made the news. So again, where are you getting your information because I believe it’s false.
Masc Pride
My question to these guys would be, how do we remove mistrust and bridge this “viral gap” when there is so much hostility, guilt tripping and dishonest manipulation of the facts whenever these discussions happen between neg and poz? I’m always leery of these types of things because it seems there is always an ulterior motive, and it inevitably devolves into poz guys throwing tantrums over neg guys who still aren’t interested, which is what it always comes back to when all is said and done.
@ErikO: Thank you for actually citing correct information. It’s refreshing. The makers of Truvada specifically state PrEP is to be used in tandem with condoms and the results of long-term usage are still unknown, but everyone always conveniently leaves those parts out.
Chris
Though I am negative and have been with poz guys, I can see why some men might not be open about that possibility. This is another of those highly complex matters involving many personal beliefs and ultimately the making of a very personal choice. But one thing that I am convinced of: shaming does nothing except to make the people doing the shaming feel morally superior.
getitgur
@Masc Pride: Condom use is still recommended for use with Truvada because you are still susceptible to other STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea.
maxxbot
@Brian: I don’t have HIV but it’s very clear that you’re nothing but an ignorant, homophobic, attention seeking troll. I very much doubt you actually care about LGBT issues in any capacity. It’s very easy to see through what you’re trying to do.