AEGiS-BAYW: MALE Center

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

MALE Center

Bay Windows - March 24, 2005
Ethan Jacobs, ejacobs@baywindows.com.

AIDS Action will open the MALE (Men's Action Life Empowerment) Center, a wellness center for men who have sex with men (MSM), sometime at the end of April, although no official opening date had been set by press time. The center's director, Benjamin Perkins, said the center will offer programming on subjects ranging from nutrition to sexuality to loneliness in an effort to give MSMs the skills to take care of themselves.

"My own philosophy is that ultimately prevention is really more than prevention," said Perkins. "You need to look at the individual and community in context, so if there are all these other issue, alienation, loneliness, you need to [address them]."

Additionally the center will offer counseling and rapid HIV testing, as well as prevention programming aimed at a diverse group of MSMs.

"Our philosophy on it is that it's an intergenerational multicultural kind of place, so we want to have activities that appeal to broad segments of gay, bi, and same-gender loving communities," said Perkins.

The center will be located at 571 Columbus Ave., across from the Harriet Tubman House, which houses the Men of Color Against AIDS (MOCAA) community center, which targets programming to African American MSM. Perkins said that once the MALE Center is on its feet he expects to collaborate with MOCAA on programming.

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