In the run up to World AIDS Day, Terrence Higgins Trust is calling on the gay community to get behind a new campaign urging gay men to use condoms during sex.
According to the sexual health charity, there are now more men with HIV on the gay scene than ever before, one in four of whom remain undiagnosed and therefore more likely to pass the virus on.
To combat rising rates, THT is calling for gay businesses and individuals to help halt the spread of HIV on the scene by placing a renewed focus on condom use.
To create the ‘Clever Dick / Smart Arse’ campaign, THT invited eight gay men from across England to take part in a photo shoot and talk about why they use condoms when having sex. Men came from all areas of the gay community – from a Soho bar manager to a rugby player with the Kings Cross Steelers – to lend their voices to the campaign, which will run via print and online press advertisements, posters in gay venues, and on 100,000 condom packs to be distributed across the scene.
‘Clever Dick / Smart Arse’ has been funded by the Department of Health through CHAPS, a partnership of community organisations, which is coordinated by THT and carries out HIV prevention work with gay men in England.
Other areas of the campaign include an online SexScore survey at www.clever-dick.org, where gay and bisexual men can receive tailored information on how risky their sex lives are, along with advice on how to stay safe. All men who complete the survey can choose to be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad 2 and one of ten pairs of Monkee Jeans.
THT has also linked up with Freedoms (www.freedoms-shop.nhs.uk) to offer discounted prices on condoms and lube to men who visit the campaign’s website.
Ben Tunstall, Head of Health Promotion at THT, said: “At THT, we’ve been talking about condoms for almost thirty years. But our oldest message is also our most important: when you’re having sex, condoms are the best way to guard against HIV.
“How much do you know about the guy you just picked up? How confident are you that you know his HIV status? With the vast majority of new infections passed on by people who don’t know they have it, the chances are he may not know himself. Thirty years on from the start of the epidemic, condoms are still the best way to protect not just your health but also your peace of mind. We want everyone on the gay scene to get behind this campaign – putting up posters in venues, picking up our condom packs, or just talking to their mates about safer sex – and help us reduce the spread of HIV in our community.”
