AEGiS-BAYW: AIDS Action welcomes gay college students to Boston

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

AIDS Action welcomes gay college students to Boston

Bay Windows - September 15, 2005
Ethan Jacobs, ejacobs@baywindows.com.

For the gay college students arriving in Boston for the first time this month, there may be an orientation program to show them the campus, but there is no gay orientation to show them the ins and outs of the Boston area's LGBT community. The Men's Action Life Empowerment (MALE) Center, a wellness and resource center for gay and bi men run by the AIDS Action Committee (AAC), hopes to change that this year. On Sept. 15 and 17 the MALE Center, located in the South End, will host an event called "Gay Guy's Guide to Boston: College Edition," in which staff will explain everything from how to find your way around the South End and Jamaica Plain to how to find a gay sports league. In the process, staff will also talk about safer sex and the services that AAC provides.

"We wanted give people a place other than a bar to find one another, meet one another, and we're hoping to infuse those experiences with information about safer sex and how to protect themselves from HIV and STDs now that they're in the big city," said AAC Director of Prevention Sophie Godley.

Godley said the idea for the orientation event comes from a similar program in San Francisco. To publicize the Boston event, AAC has contacted LGBT group leaders at area colleges, posted announcements on LGBT student listservs, and advertised in some schools' new student "welcome" packs given out to new students at the beginning of the year.

Godley said this will be the first in a variety of programs throughout the year at the MALE Center, which opened in June. Other programs on tap for the year include movie nights, health and wellness programs like yoga, networking programs, workshops in finance, and mentoring programs. In addition the MALE Center regularly offers HIV testing and counseling. Godley said the MALE Center will release a calendar of events for the year in the near future.

The MALE Center's "Gay Guy's Guide to Boston: College Edition," will be held at the MALE Center, 571 Columbus Ave., Sept. 15 from 7-9 p.m. and on Sept. 17 from 2-4 p.m. For more information call 617-450-1987 or e-mail malecenter@aac.org.

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