Reinforce Your Love (1991)

S. F. AIDS Foundation launches multi-lingual HIV prevention campaign targeting gay and bisexual youth

Most comprehensive campaign ever designed targeting young gays

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, NOVEMBER 18, 1991 -- On Monday, November 18, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation will launch the most comprehensive campaign ever designed targeting self- identified gay and bisexual youth. The centerpiece of this prevention effort, entitled "Reinforce Your Love," will be a broad bus shelter poster campaign in English, Spanish and Filipino that will be integrated into a wide range of community outreach activities.

The "Reinforce Your Love" campaign is funded in part by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. In June 1991 the Health Department's Office of AIDS released an HIV survey of young gay and bisexual men which served to underscore the necessity for this broad-based campaign. The survey identified the following trends: Young gay men between the ages of 17-19 were twice as likely to engage in unsafe sex as gay and bisexual men 29 years of age or older. 14% of gay and bisexual men between the ages of 17-19 surveyed were infected. Young African American gay men were twice as likely (22.9%) to be HIV infected as young white gay men (10.9%). The seroprevalence among young Latino gay men was 14.3%.

Young gay and bisexual men have never before been targeted for a campaign of this magnitude," said Youth Campaign Coordinator John Wilhite. "It is our intention to put it out to gay and bisexual youth that they are an important part of the San Francisco community, they are at risk for HIV infection, and they can prevent that infection from taking place.

Most researchers agree that young gay and bisexual men are putting themselves at risk because of the mistaken notion that being young exempts them from risk, that AIDS is an older gay man's disease and the universal belief by young people that they are invincible.

"Too many young gays do not feel personally threatened by AIDS and don't see it as their problem. They were not in San Francisco during the epidemic's peak period between 1982 and 1986 when there was an enormous amount of community discussion about AIDS and safe sex. They also have not experienced the trauma of losing large numbers of friends and acquaintances to this disease," said Wilhite. "We have learned, however, that one way to reach gay and bisexual youth is by promoting a strong positive image about their lifestyle and their place in the community."

Along with the bus shelters, there will be ads in youth oriented newspapers and magazines, giveaways of t-shirts, posters, viewers, stickers and postcards. During the next few months events are being planned in conjunction with local high schools, universities, youth service providing agencies, and clubs catering to young gay and bisexual men of all colors.

"Reinforce Your Love" builds on the SF AIDS Foundation's first public gay youth campaign, the very successful "Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness" bus shelters which ran in June of 1990.

Youth played a key role in developing the materials for the new campaign. They were joined on blue ribbon advisory groups by youth service providers, researchers and AIDS prevention educators.

"The importance of this campaign cannot be diminished. It is designed to provide life-saving information to young gay and bisexual men. They are at great risk for HIV infection," explained Wilhite. "It is our responsibility to give our youth the information they need to take pride in themselves, practice safe sex, and stay healthy."