Positive Life NSW

Positive Life NSW has produced the poster campaign SEX SCENES to raise awareness that sex venues and other spaces where guys have sex, are shared spaces for both positive and negative men.

Both positive and negative men can make certain assumptions (e.g. “He didn’t ask for a condom he must be positive”; “If he didn’t disclose, he must be negative”). These are challenges to overcome and deal with, not only when negotiating sex, but also in our HIV prevention work.

We also want to challenge the discrimination and sexual rejection that some positive men say they experience when they disclose their status in these situations. Our aim is to contribute to an environment where HIV positive gay men feel more comfortable about disclosure and HIV negative men are more responsive when disclosed to.

SEX SCENES draws on real experiences and how gay men learn from each other about sex. As well as learning about sex they learn how to look after each other, and that has been valuable information to capture in the campaign.

As a text based campaign there are no specific images that exclude or alienate particular groups or individuals. We hope by doing this it will be more accessible to a wider audience.

Here are some thought provoking quotes from our discussion group which contributed to the campaign development:

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“We make assumptions about HIV status. Do we both mean the same thing?”

“You take a risk and tell yourself ‘it’ll be okay’.”

“It’s easy to get lost in the moment and I don’t think about HIV.”

“If he tells me he's positive, his honesty can make us closer.”

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A forum is coming up in mid February 2008:

'HOT FUCK on the net, in bed or in the backroom'

at the Phoenix Bar, Oxford Street Darlinghurst. Refreshments will be provided. Places are limited so bookings are essential... more info here.