Queensland Positive People - HIVAIDS HIV treatments HIV peer support HIV advocacy HIV health promotion HIV prevention

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QPP HIV Prevention Campaign

A Critical Appraisal of the Three Poster Series

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- Content and Themes -
Defining and Exploring the Ramifications and Significance of Prevention Among PLWHA through Narrative and Discussion.

OBJECTIVE:
To support PLWHA in Queensland to talk about their experiences (in relation to HIV prevention) to improve understanding within communities and services, inside and outside the sector.

QPP encourages and invites all PLWHA in Queensland give their perspectives and viewpoints on the content and themes of this prevention campaign, and in general how prevention of HIV plays out within the lived experience of being HIV-Positive. We are particularly interested to hear what prevention means or conjures up for you and your capacity for a full life, in all its meanings - social and medical.

We encourage all PLWHA to consider engaging in dialog and comment about sex and prevention on our website campaign discussion board (anonymously and confidentially), to make a comment just simply type in the form and hit send, your comments will appear within 24hrs.

Additionally, QPP invites all PLWHA to speak to its staff regarding further peer support, discussion, and resources regarding HIV prevention.

BACKGROUND:
Whilst HIV notifications appear to have stabilised in Queensland over the past two years (147 in 2005 and 142 in 2006) there has been a significant upward trend towards nearly 50% increase since 2001. This HIV prevention campaign is in response to those rises.

PRINCIPLES:
QPP holds the principled view that HIV Prevention Includes Sexual Rights – i.e. a fulfilling sex life is a basic human right regardless of HIV status, provided it does not place others at risk. Furthermore, QPP holds the view that the vast majority of PLWHA do not consciously or recklessly place others at risk, and this view is supported by research1. Nonetheless, for those with an active sex interest, the burden of living with HIV life-long can have a significant impact upon their approach to sex, and include the emotions and feelings related to sex and to ones body and mind2.

In particular, disclosure of HIV status is a significant burden to PLWHA, particularly accounting for fear of rejection from potential partners3. Our campaign hopes to uphold this value, by ignoring disclosure (as unnecessary) and instead promoting condom use for everyone (HIV-negative or HIV-positive or Unknown Status).

Within the context of the sex with the most recent casual partner, 72.6% of PLWHA used condoms with those whose HIV status they did not know, and 87.5% used condoms with those who were HIV-negative. HIV Futures 5, Life as We Know It survey
The majority of PLWHA (65.8%) felt that HIV has a negative effect on their sexual pleasure. HIV Futures 5, Life as We Know It survey
61.8% of PLWHA expressed some fear of rejection from potential partners if they tell of their HIV status. HIV Futures 5, Life as We Know It survey

Campaign Postings

Community Fight
From: Just Me
Date: 29 Sep 2007
Comments
I am interested in the subject of community cohesion to combat HIV infections. I raise this from the view of how so many in the community seem to have been unaffected and untouched by HIV these days (it’s kinda gone underground, unnoticed, or at worst just plain ignored). But then people tend to actively discriminate about HIV status like its - ridiculously so - the prime marker of man; whereas in earlier days of HIV we all cared so much for each other, as we understood so much more. I wonder whether Poz people have reacted to this pushing away, compelling them to serosort, and yet this has placed yet another pressure on us, since afterall isn’t sero-sorting just sero-guessing? The who gets the blame? - where the blame rest squarely on the shoulders of innane social pressures like this. How do you tell, if you don’t have to tell, and is it safe to tell or risk further embedding and community divide. Where has love and romance (and caring) gone from the gay community - doesn’t anyone want to fall in love these days, or is it all just mechanical lust, making our world a dog-eat-dog one for instant gratification sake, so long as we THINK we are doing it with ‘right’ person? Has sex become a mask for loneliness and isolation? Aren’t we all human and in need of someone to love (to love us), and like the Rolling Stones song says “we all need someone to cream on”? My questions are actually some of my views.

A well done job
From: Poz Guy
Date: 30 Aug 2007
Comments
Even as a positive person the thought of AIDS does not scare me as much today as when I first contracted it in 1992, and while ever present in my mind I notice I get asked less and less to wear protection when I don't disclose so its up to me to act responsibly, so I think there is a relaxed attitude in the my community. I think the general community needs a shake up and I think the campaign does that...well done QPP.

From: pozpossumoz
1st 1 February 2008
Comments
Well may we say "cum out fighting" with recent news reports seeming to suggest police are targeting HIV+ people without regard to
medical facts (or apparently any other kind) Are we to be subjected to frankly UNLAWFUL breaches of our privacy by allowing peoples status (and
photo) to be published. Even murderers and rapists get more protection.
"It's A Life Sentence" too bloody right. lets fight back. A little bit of respect and dignity goes a long way. Valued citizens are safe people.

From: Notso
Mon 18/02/2008
Comments:
I thought only Murderers got a Life Sentence?
This campaign is not representing me as a Poz guy the right way, it is defamatory and only makes us further isolated within the community.
This campaign based on a poorly researched paper with leading questions claims people living with HIV are criminals. Personally I feel empowered I have HIV and my life and values reflect this positive change! I am not thinking my life is blind to the consequences of HIV, I am informed and make valued judgements on my life. This campaign only stigmatises us as infected and dead people with no life expectancy.
QPP should be supporting us and empowering us not making us further victimised such as this campaign has.
I think its disgusting and only takes us back to the grim reaper campaigns of the 80's. As a work of self representation this campaign does not reflect how I and others feel about HIV.
This campaign makes me seek at the sight of.

From: human
Date: 24/February/2008
Comments:
people please! as a pos person... dont ya reckon that life is the sentence and that protection is the key...I would rather the grimm reaper come for dinner and chat to me about cancer

From: PersonLWH
Date: 20 February 2008
Comments: While I admit at first I too was struck by the campaigns slogan as harsh and scary, on contemplation I understood it for what it
was. That HIV is a condition that once contracted needs life management, definitely not that death was around the corner.
Would I have thought about the ad if it wasn't as confronting...I wonder? If it was nice and sweet would I have just turned the page with no thought at all. I can't remember a campaign that grabbed me like the old grim reaper days. this comes close but for very different reasons.
Bombarded with so much instructional safe sex messages I was impressed by one that asked me to think.
With so much ambiguity in the subtext you can interpret it many ways, depending on it you are a glass half full or a glass half empty.

From: mates4life
Date: 25 February 2008
Comments: Where are women in this campaign? Where is the “family man”? Why are there “lesions” represented on the boxer when this reflects the worst kind of discriminatory identification of those living with HIV/Aids? I agree that there needs to be an invigorated campaign about responsible and safe sex practices that reflects compassion and humanity; the values deeply evident when we exercise the choice to protect ourselves and others. Amongst those I love I am aware of at least 6 who live with HIV. They are young and old, men and women, straight and gay, married and single, childless and with children. In my humble opinion this campaign seems to be strongly engaging with one group within the gorgeous and inspiring positive community.

For me it fails to reflect the reality for those of us who live with positive people as friends and lovers. I want public material and campaigns about this disease to position HIV like other STDs. There are powerful and evocative images in this campaign but they are not speaking to me or all of my positive friends.

QPP Health Promotion & Treatments Officer
response to this posting:

Thank you for your campaign comments. This campaign was specifically intended to be marketed to gay men and MSM. It is pertinent to them since the mean (largest group) of HIV new infections occurs in gay men and MSM. This is not to say that heterosexuals or women or other sub-populations are not at risk of HIV - they are - but the incidence (and prevalence) of HIV in other populations in our state (and nation) is very low compared to the main risk groups.

We believe it would be unnecessary to campaign specifically to HIV-positive women, and possibly stigmatising to them as very few infections occur through women. I take your point about the value of a broader portrayal of all populations of PLWHA, but believe it would dilute the attentions of the highest prevention risk group (gay and MSM). Such a broader portrayal of HIV+ people may suit some other type of campaigning other than prevention (e.g. stigma reduction and wider community visibility/education).

Rather than burden HIV+ women with a prevention message and campaign, we have instead concentrated our attentions to support women via their peer support group called “Positive Women Together”. There would be no problem with discussing HIV prevention (or any health promotion subject for that matter) within this group, and in fact the group is established for such if wanted. Any HIV+ woman in QLD is welcome to contact us either to attend an upcoming women’s group peer function and/or to become a member of the organising committee which plans its content and development.

In relation to your comment about absent portrayal of the “family man”, what makes you think gay men aren’t family men? A number of gay men might take offence and make objection to such an inference. Heterosexuals DO NOT have exclusivity to family, nor family togetherness and belonging.

Also, the “lesions” you refer to on our ‘Boxer’ model are NOT lesions, but they are STARS (meant to suggest survival, hope and strength, in my view). Perhaps you may also be seeing the true skin character of our ‘boxer’ model, and in this regard they are his own unique character traits (natural body moles) and have nothing to do with HIV and everything to do with him as a unique individual in the world. Additionally, our campaign Reference Group, which comprised many people with HIV, did not conceive at all that stars = lesions. We would not wish to portray people with HIV with lesions, perhaps for the very reasons you have identified. What makes you think as a support agency that we would be prepared or willing to portray PLWHA in a stigmatising fashion? We support people with HIV, not hinder them.

I wish you the best and thank you for your dialog, as it creates community debate - which I encourage.

Peter, Health Promotion and Treatments Officer, QPP.

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QPP State Resource Centre • 21 Manilla Street • EAST BRISBANE QLD 4169
Phone: 07 3013 5555 Fax: 07 3891 1830 Freecall: 1800 636 241 (within QLD)