Here Media, the world’s largest gay media company, has joined with Greater Than AIDS — a new national movement to respond to AIDS in America — to inform and engage the LGBT community about HIV/AIDS. The multimedia partnership includes public service announcements (PSAs) and expanded HIV/AIDS news and editorial across Here Media’s iconic brands — including Gay.com, OUT, The Advocate, HIV Plus, and MPOWRPlus.com. A dedicated new web portal, http://www.gay.com/greaterthan, provides targeted information and resources for gay and bisexual men.
Gay and bisexual men account for about half of all Americans living with HIV/AIDS today and are the only risk group among which new infections are on the rise. According to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five (19%) men who have sex with men (MSM) in major U.S. cities today are HIV-positive — and as many as half of those who are infected don’t know it.
“Homophobia and other social stigmas, low self-esteem, and high rates of substance use contribute to rising rates of HIV infections among our community,” said Joe Valentino, Vice President and Associate Publisher, Here Media. “We are proud to partner with Greater Than AIDS to educate and empower our audience. This partnership refocuses our community’s attention on the important need to reduce the spread of HIV.”
“As one of the communities hardest hit by the disease, gay and bisexual men have been at the center of the AIDS crisis since the early days of the epidemic,” said Stephen Massey, Associate Director of Entertainment Media Partnerships at the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation, a founding partner of Greater Than AIDS. “In joining with Greater Than AIDS, Here Media is providing a powerful platform to reach the gay community with action-oriented and empowering messages and helping to mobilize a new generation in response to HIV/AIDS.”
June 2011 will mark 30 years since the first case of AIDS was diagnosed. More than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV today, and at least half a million more have died of AIDS complications. Men who have sex with men (MSM) have been at the center of the epidemic since its earliest days and today account for more than half of new infections in this country. According to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five (19%) gay and bisexual men in some the largest U.S. cities are living with HIV — and half of those who are positive don’t know it. MSM are the only risk group among which new infections are on the rise.
