GMFA, the gay men’s health project, has launched the second phase of its ‘Me. Him. Us’ campaign, which focuses on the importance of HIV testing. The campaign was developed by and for black and minority ethnic gay and bisexual men and is appearing on digital advertising hubs across East London. It also has a website.
- “It’s important for us black men to take care of our sexual health and get tested regularly because sadly we are disproportionately affected by HIV,” said Phil Samba, an activist and writer who helped develop the campaign. “It’s vital that we all teach ourselves and others about all the preventative tools available today, how they work and how to access them.”
- HERO, GMFA’s parent organisation, recommends that sexually active men who have sex with men should get tested for HIV every six months.
“The lack of visibility of men from black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities in sexual health promotion has been well documented as having an impact on BAME men’s sexual health and risk-taking, which ultimately plays a role in the disproportionate rates of HIV infection in this population,” said Marc Thompson, Co-Editor of BlackoutUK, who was an adviser to the campaign. “The [campaign] imagery is beautiful and it shows black men being loving, caring and compassionate with each other. It reflects the community as it really is.”
Me. Him. Us. was brought back after the success of its initial campaign, which launched in 2018. The campaign website has resources for the target population, including information on how to order free home HIV testing kits.
