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Launched on June 12 by the city
health department, San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) and others, the
multimedia “Many Shades of Gay” campaign encourages gay and bisexual men to get
tested for HIV regularly.
With a nod to the community’s
diversity, the campaign website allows visitors to pick and choose among diverse
body shapes, clothing, and hairstyles to create a digital-world avatar. The
user also is informed about the importance of regular HIV screening and can get
help finding nearby testing sites. HIV-positive men can access health
information and testing and care resources.
Those involved in the campaign “want
to focus on how wonderful and diverse our community is, and communicate that -
regardless of who you are, where you come from, what you look like, or what
you’re into - there’s many ways to be gay, but you need to get an HIV test
every six months,” said James Loduca, an SFAF spokesperson.
Organizers have “worked hard in the
past year to scale up the number of HIV tests offered throughout San Francisco,
and Many Shades of Gay is the kind of bold, attention-getting campaign we need
to increase demand for those tests,” said Tracey Parker, acting director of HIV
prevention at the health department.
The agency ATTIK provided free
creative development for the campaign, SFAF said. To see the campaign website,
visit: www.manyshadesofgay.org.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
