New York Times Examines Changing Attitudes Toward HIV Prevention Among N.Y. Advocates, MSM
The New York Times on Sunday examined how HIV/AIDS education materials and condoms -- once "given away by the bucketful" in New York -- now are "hard to find, if not impossible" in the city's gay clubs and at some "bedrock" service institutions. Although "no one believes free condoms will completely halt the spread of HIV," their "disappearance" from bars and clubs -- the "equivalent of a town hall" for some men who have sex with men -- is an "indicator of how much steam has been lost in the fight against AIDS," according to the Times. However, there also is a "growing sense" among some HIV/AIDS advocates that the "traditional sloganeering" about condoms and "club drugs" like crystal methamphetamine is "about as effective as birth-control campaigns that rely on abstinence" and that the "only hope" for changes in behavior is to "recognize and address the underlying factors that propel men into risky situations," the Times reports (Jacobs, New York Times, 4/3). The complete article is available online.
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