GLINN GAY NEWS DISTRIBUTION NEWS ARTICLE 2009

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sara Gillen
Harlem United
306 Lenox Avenue, NY, NY 10027
(212) 803-2883

HARLEM UNITED'S IN-YOUR-FACE APPROACH TO COMBAT THE FORGOTTEN EPIDEMIC

As the Public's Sense of Urgency About HIV/AIDS Dramatically Drops, Harlem United Raises Awareness Through a Guerilla Poster and Online HIV Prevention Campaign

New York (06-18-09) -- In a recently published report from the Kaiser Foundation, Americans naming HIV/AIDS as a personal risk dropped from 44 percent in 1995 to 6 percent in 2009, even among some groups at higher risk. In response Harlem United has launched Risk Uncensored, a guerilla poster and online campaign aimed at men of color who have sex with men (MSM) to give them a forum to have uncensored dialogue about sexuality and sexual health.

Harlem United logo Today, 25 percent of all Americans infected with HIV do not know it, and are unwittingly driving 54 percent of all new infections. Despite a plethora of information, free services, and new drugs, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still on the rise. New data from the New York City Department of Health show a troubling increase in HIV diagnosis among young men you have sex with men.

These findings underscore the urgency of Risk Uncensored to renew awareness of HIV risks and prevention among high risk groups with public health messages that will resonate with a new generation. As part of the campaign, a new generation of HIV prevention advocates is blogging to inform their peers about HIV/ AIDS risk. With a raw in-your-face approach, bloggers on Man-find.com are talking about having hot sex that's safe.

Posters featuring provocative campaign statements are hung in the bathroom stalls of 42 gay bars throughout the five boroughs. These controversial posters are not only designed to publicize the website, but create a starting point for open dialogue. Similarly designed Web banner ads will be strategically placed on websites that cater to gay men such as DList, Gay.com, HX.com and Queerty.

This social marketing campaign was informed by input from multiple focus groups of young African-American and Latino MSM, as well as organizations and individuals serving the MSM community. Harlem United presents this campaign in partnership with community organizations in Queens (Hispanic AIDS Forum), Brooklyn (Gay Men of African Descent), and Staten Island (Community Health Action of Staten Island).

For more than three decades, Harlem United Community AIDS Center has provided high quality comprehensive HIV prevention and care services to clients regardless of race, socio-economic status or sexual orientation.

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