Source: The Age

This explicit ad encouraging condom use is part of a series sponsored by Victorian AIDS Council

Four advertisements -- which show men having sex, with a dialogue box discussing safe sex issues covering their genitalia -- will appear in Bnews and MCV newspapers as part of the Victorian AIDS Council's latest campaign to target gay men who have unprotected sex.

Executive director Mike Kennedy said the decision to use images of penetrative sex in the campaign was based on interviews with gay men about what they best responded to at a time when HIV infections in the community were rising.

"We're doing it not because we're trying to push the envelope but because the focus groups are telling us that this is what we need to do to have the conversation we need to have," he said.

"When we showed people in the focus groups words alone, they said 'nup, doesn't work for us'. But when we showed images of real people, they said 'this says to us you're fair dinkum'. It doesn't look like stuff people have seen 100 times before."

Mr Kennedy said the campaign would be accompanied by another more public campaign urging people to get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, called "The Drama Down Under".

Tea-towels showing images of men having sex alongside safe-sex messages about condom use and water-based lubricants would also be distributed at gay festivals in coming months.

Full article: Confronting approach to HIV in gay community - National - theage.com.au