The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has produced a music video that joyfully
educates gay and bi men about HIV prevention options. And it is foot-stomping
fabulous!
The song,
“Collect My Love,” was released by The Knocks and it features vocals
by Alex Newell,
the young gender-bending singer who rose to fame by stealing season three of
the television series, Glee (his
rendition of “Boogie Shoes” on that show is a one-way ticket to
my happy place).
In the CDC
music video, Newell performs the song in a crowded, gay-friendly dance club.
The atmosphere is ebullient and cruisey, with gay men making connections left
and right. That’s where HIV prevention comes in.
Gay couples
meeting at the club are shown later, as their relationships develop. There is a
condom negotiation, a man shown taking PrEP, and even a character who
discloses he is HIV-positive and undetectable.
The CDC has
filled the video with every prevention method available, and they do it in a
sex-positive, non-judgmental atmosphere. The video was created as part of the “Start Talking. Stop HIV.” campaign that reaches out to men
who have sex with men, particularly African-American and Latino gay and bi men.
In an exclusive
interview with Alberto Santana of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention and
Manny Rodriguez, part of the creative team at agency FHI360, both men made
clear that solid research was their guide.
“This is an
authentic campaign,” said Rodriguez, “with gay men involved in both the
campaign staff and creative team. Our goal was to marry CDC research with
something that is accessible and enjoyable to watch.”
“We know that
having conversations about HIV can increase good health outcomes and strengthen
relationships,” said Santana. “We also wanted to playfully connect to pop
culture. We are putting out important information, and doing it outside
the normal means.”
The CDC is
exceedingly careful to provide scientifically accurate messages, but has
certainly never delivered these messages in such an innovative and entertaining
way before. The video incorporates both PrEP and the
fact people with HIV can become undetectable — two important and often misunderstood
issues being heavily discussed among the gay community right this
minute.
The men
featured in the video are youthful and attractive, but blessedly, they look
like young men you might actually meet in a club, not unattainable icons from
the pages of Men’s Fitness. In fact, there’s a plus-sized bear seen
tearing up the dance floor who walks away with the video during his few seconds
on camera. In my mind’s eye, that jubilant, self-possessed man is not
going home alone.
Sure, the world
conjured in the CDC video may not reflect all interactions among gay men as we
know them to be. Stigma and judgment still exist and are practiced
nightly in clubs throughout the country. But I wholeheartedly support this
alternative, aspirational world, where gay men live joyfully and play
responsibly. That’s the world I want to live in.
The video will
be shared on social media and through CDC’s community partners. But why
wait? Check it out, and share it with your networks. Discuss it. Start a
conversation about the ways we can protect ourselves and our community.
And put on your
dancing shoes.
More convos, more PSAs
ReplyDelete