Last night GLAAD and Gay Men's Health Crisis called on the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to pull the above ad. From GLAAD and GMHC's joint press release:
The PSA, which is intended to encourage condom usage among gay and bisexual men, claims that those with HIV face a higher risk of bone loss, dementia, and anal cancer. While older adults living with HIV may be at greater risk of these conditions, the PSA creates a grim picture of what it is like to live with HIV that could further stigmatize HIV/AIDS, as well as gay and bisexual men."We know from our longstanding HIV prevention work that portraying gay and bisexual men as dispensing diseases is counterproductive," said Marjorie Hill, PhD, GMHC's Chief Executive Officer. "Studies have shown that using scare tactics is not effective. Including gay men's input, while recognizing their strength and resiliency, in the creation of HIV prevention education is effective. Gay men are part of the prevention solution, not the problem."
The comments on YouTube are overwhelmingly negative, which drew this la-la-la-we-can't-hear-you response from NYC Health:
It’s obvious from these comments we’ve struck a chord. If you want to learn more about HIV prevention and the importance of being tested, check out NYC Condom - Get Some! on Facebook and join the conversation.
My response after the jump...