The Washington Blade - June 4, 1999
Lou Chibbaro Jr.

In a May 17 letter, AIDS Action, a Washington, D.C.-based group, told Dole his decision to appear in television commercials promoting the drug Viagra as a remedy for male erectile dysfunction was an important breakthrough in drawing public attention to a problem that affects "thousands of men."

"We hope you will agree that there is a dangerous contradiction in network policies that allow Viagra ads but ban ones for condoms," AIDS Action executive director Daniel Zingale stated in the letter to Dole. "While television networks air ads promoting products to enhance sex lives, ads for products that promote safer sex lives are banned from the airwaves," Zingale wrote. "Imagine if the networks aired commercials for faster motorcycles but banned ads for helmets."

"As a leading role model for older Americans," Zingale said in his letter to Dole, "we hope you will join us in an effort to promote awareness about HIV and safer sex for people over 50 as well as all Americans at risk for HIV."

Zingale said Dole had not responded to the AIDS Action letter as of this week.

Last July, AIDS Action called on the nation's six major television networks to end their longstanding ban on condom commercials. The group suggested that the networks broadcast such commercials during programs rated "S" for sexually oriented content under a newly implemented television rating system. Zingale noted that the so-called "V-chip," scheduled to be installed in the next generation of television sets, will allow parents to block programs with an "S" rating and thus prevent their children from viewing condom commercials.

"In one stroke, the new ratings system and the 'V-chip' have nullified arguments that condom ads would violate parents' rights," Zingale said at the time.

But in separate letters, officials with the NBC and ABC television networks told Zingale last year that they have no plans to lift their bans on condom commercials. The officials from the two networks said their current policies allow the hundreds of local television stations affiliated with the networks to run condom ads if they wish, in accordance with those stations' evaluation of local community standards.

Richard Gitter, an NBC vice president, and Christine Hikawa, an ABC vice president, told Zingale in their letters that their respective networks welcome public service announcements promoting condom use as a means of preventing HIV transmission. But Zingale told the Blade this week that AIDS prevention messages through public service announcements on the networks -- as well by the federal government -- have been "almost non-existent" in recent years. Zingale said the drop-off is partially due to an overall decrease in public discourse over AIDS following the advent of highly effective AIDS drugs as well as a partial lapse in interest in the subject of AIDS as the world approaches the 20th year of the epidemic. He criticized the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not being more aggressive in promoting AIDS prevention programs on the public airwaves.

"There's been a marked drop-off," said Zingale, "in AIDS prevention messages all across the country."

While praised by activists such as Zingale for his decision to appear in Viagra commercials, Dole's efforts have been criticized by religious right advocates. Some of the critics have complained about Dole's statement in the commercial that Viagra can help "men and their partners." This particular phrase, critics have said, is contrary to "family values" because it could apply to unmarried heterosexual couples as well as Gay male couples.
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