Gay men’s health charity GMFA is encouraging gay men to think about the assumptions that they make about their sexual partners in a new online video.
Based on a YouTube theme which has gone viral in recent months, GMFA's Sh-t Gay Guys Say About HIV features some of the contradictory, or plain bizarre, things that some gay men say about HIV.
Featuring a host of actors, lines include: "Do I look like I have HIV?" and "I'm too scared to take a [HIV] test".
Viewers of the video are invited to give feedback on the impact that the
video had on them. Initial findings suggest that two-thirds of viewers
were inspired to think about the assumptions that they make about their
sexual partner’s HIV status and a majority of viewers were moved to
consider who has the responsibility for safer sex and to think about the
likelihood of disclosure of HIV status.
Matthew Hodson of GMFA, says: “We’ve all heard people come out with statements about HIV that are inaccurate, misinformed or dangerously naïve. GMFA’s website provides frank information about HIV, how it is transmitted and how gay men can protect themselves and their sexual partners. We hope that this video will encourage gay men to think about their own attitudes and behaviour and motivate them to find out more about HIV.”
He adds: “HIV is a serious issue. We produced this video to see whether or not we could reach people using viral marketing techniques. We’re keen to see if this video gets seen and shared, to find out what people think about the approach, and whether or not it brings new visitors to our site.”
Watch the video here:
