streetsurfer
Ex-Bluelighter
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2004
- Messages
- 623
This is a letter I have sent to the Aids council of new south wales. If anyone else feels in a similar way I urge you to email [email protected] and voice your concerns. I feel this post is appropriate here as much of HIV transmition has been associated with Crystal meth and the gay community are big drug consumers as a population. Cheers
I am writing to express my distress, anger and dismay at Acon's efforts (or lack there of) in protecting the welfare of gay men in Sydney. Especially the young.
Why are you not actively out there campaigning on Flinders Street outside of ARQ nightclub and bodyline sauna (a sex on premises venue) on Friday and Saturday nights??
This is where most young gay guys meet and many have sex, this is the common point that is associated with much of the infection in Sydney regardless of whether the sex happens there or not as many meet and go home from there.
These venues, especially Arq are negligent in their duty of care to their clientele by not providing adequate education on safe sexual practices.
Consider the 18yo, newly on the scene, new to drugs, unaware that their is many many HIV infected guys have no qualms about infecting others, and will lie about their status and readily agree to unprotected sex or even propose or initiate it.
How many 18yo's would know to beware of guys who remove the condom during sex?
Acon should be far more proactive in reaching this population. It should be using innovative marking methods, having people out on the street on Friday and Saturday nights, Laser footpath messages, moveable billboards, 6ft 5 Trannies screaming it from the Park in tayler square.
I am a nurse, not a marketing expert yet I can come up with these ideas as I type, what the hell is Acon doing??
In the 2 years I spent on the scene which was almost every weekend I am sad to say, the only safe sex messages I saw, were scummy torn graphitized posters on the back of toilet doors in Arq, a few in the chill out areas of bodyline, and a messed up pile of pamphlets among various other ones in Stonewall hotel with a crappy wicker basket full of condoms and lube. (Not even that at Arq). What about bar mats with the message, pool cues with it written on it...? What about bodyline?? How about safe sex messages totally covering the backs of doors in the booths? Painted on the mattress’s
All these ideas I come up with right now.
I realise these business's are not obligated to do more than the little they have but a name and shame campaign would I belive, result in interventions like these being implimented rather rapidly.
I put it to you that Acon is a government body dedicated to the social control of gay people, not to advocate as you purport to.
A very public demonstration of my view is the full page advertisements supporting the Red Cross ban on sexually active gay men donating blood you ran reciently (a grossly discriminatory practice with no justification).
Also I remember not long ago Acon complaining it had no responses for a drive for volunteers yet I volunteered, as a qualified nurse with a vast amount of experience in drug and alcohol harm minimization and received no reply. Nothing.
Some questions I would like answered are:
Does acon make public its commercial "sponsership" from these businesses, and the amounts it receives?
Does acon receive instructions to not pursue these types of interventions from government sources outside of the department? I would imagine alot of tax revenue comes from these business's and with it, a certain ammount of influence over governenment decisions and policy.
Why are you not seeking sponsership from the pharmacetical industry that makes many millions of dollers from antiretrovirals, the majority of which are consumed by gay men?
I am dumbfounded at Acon’s negligence in protecting our welfare; I look forward to your response to my concerns.
Regards
xx
I am writing to express my distress, anger and dismay at Acon's efforts (or lack there of) in protecting the welfare of gay men in Sydney. Especially the young.
Why are you not actively out there campaigning on Flinders Street outside of ARQ nightclub and bodyline sauna (a sex on premises venue) on Friday and Saturday nights??
This is where most young gay guys meet and many have sex, this is the common point that is associated with much of the infection in Sydney regardless of whether the sex happens there or not as many meet and go home from there.
These venues, especially Arq are negligent in their duty of care to their clientele by not providing adequate education on safe sexual practices.
Consider the 18yo, newly on the scene, new to drugs, unaware that their is many many HIV infected guys have no qualms about infecting others, and will lie about their status and readily agree to unprotected sex or even propose or initiate it.
How many 18yo's would know to beware of guys who remove the condom during sex?
Acon should be far more proactive in reaching this population. It should be using innovative marking methods, having people out on the street on Friday and Saturday nights, Laser footpath messages, moveable billboards, 6ft 5 Trannies screaming it from the Park in tayler square.
I am a nurse, not a marketing expert yet I can come up with these ideas as I type, what the hell is Acon doing??
In the 2 years I spent on the scene which was almost every weekend I am sad to say, the only safe sex messages I saw, were scummy torn graphitized posters on the back of toilet doors in Arq, a few in the chill out areas of bodyline, and a messed up pile of pamphlets among various other ones in Stonewall hotel with a crappy wicker basket full of condoms and lube. (Not even that at Arq). What about bar mats with the message, pool cues with it written on it...? What about bodyline?? How about safe sex messages totally covering the backs of doors in the booths? Painted on the mattress’s
All these ideas I come up with right now.
I realise these business's are not obligated to do more than the little they have but a name and shame campaign would I belive, result in interventions like these being implimented rather rapidly.
I put it to you that Acon is a government body dedicated to the social control of gay people, not to advocate as you purport to.
A very public demonstration of my view is the full page advertisements supporting the Red Cross ban on sexually active gay men donating blood you ran reciently (a grossly discriminatory practice with no justification).
Also I remember not long ago Acon complaining it had no responses for a drive for volunteers yet I volunteered, as a qualified nurse with a vast amount of experience in drug and alcohol harm minimization and received no reply. Nothing.
Some questions I would like answered are:
Does acon make public its commercial "sponsership" from these businesses, and the amounts it receives?
Does acon receive instructions to not pursue these types of interventions from government sources outside of the department? I would imagine alot of tax revenue comes from these business's and with it, a certain ammount of influence over governenment decisions and policy.
Why are you not seeking sponsership from the pharmacetical industry that makes many millions of dollers from antiretrovirals, the majority of which are consumed by gay men?
I am dumbfounded at Acon’s negligence in protecting our welfare; I look forward to your response to my concerns.
Regards
xx
Last edited: