Web-Based Soap Opera About Sex Lives of Gay Men Makes HIV Prevention/Education More Interactive, Accessible

News release:

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five young gay guys, living together in an apartment complex where they all face decisions about their sex lives, sounds like the description of a television soap-opera. But it also describes the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Centers groundbreaking new HIV prevention/education campaign.

By blending the appeal of sexy digital soaps with online forums, the Centers In the Moment series of webisodes, the first of which is funded by the City of West Hollywood, promotes safer sex in a manner that is more entertaining, interactive and accessible than traditional prevention programs.

Since this campaign is available to anyone who has access to a computer, says Alton Carswell, program coordinator for the Centers WeHoLife.org HIV prevention program, we can reach guys who dont go to bars, clubs or meetings and they can engage -- anonymously if they prefer -- discussing whatever is on their mind. That was one of our goals.

The first of the 12 planned webisodes, five minutes in length and available for viewing at www.weholife.org, introduces the characters and features a scene with a couple in bed. When the action heats up, one of the guys reaches for a condom, but before he can finish opening it, his boyfriend has already entered him without protection, and in the pleasure of the moment, he doesnt object.

After watching the webisode, viewers will be invited to participate in an online discussion to address such questions as: Whose responsibility should it be to put the condom on? As a couple is it ever OK to have unprotected sex? Did the receptive partner lead his boyfriend to believe it was OK to enter him without a condom? Is it ever OK to enter someone, not wearing a condom, without that persons permission? Is the pleasure of unprotected sex worth the risk?

Traditional methods of HIV prevention, like condom distribution, remain incredibly important, says independent filmmaker Dave OBrien, 31, who wrote, directed and co-developed In the Moment, But whats missing among a younger generation of gay guys is any real discussion about HIV and safer sex. In the Moment is a sexy and entertaining way to capture their attention and stimulate dialogue regarding real-world sexual situations many gay men face today.

The launch of the In the Moment series comes at a time when there are growing concerns regarding the HIV infection rate among young gay men. New York City health officials recently reported that new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men, under the age of 30, rose 32% between 2001 and 2002. During the same period, new infections among older gay men there dropped 22%.

Were grateful the City of West Hollywood has funded this initiative, through our WeHoLife.org program, to promote healthy living among those who live, work and visit West Hollywood, said Susan Cohen, director of the Centers Health Education and Prevention Department. Of course, we know it also has the potential to stimulate safer sex discussions among anyone with a computer and we will be monitoring web traffic, with the hope that we can secure funding for the remaining 11 webisodes.

SOURCE L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center