AEGiS-BAYW: Just say no

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Just say no

Bay Windows - June 14, 2007
Ethan Jacobs, ejacobs@baywindows.com

Fenway Community Health's New Champions, a peer education program designed to show the gay male community the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, launched a new ad campaign June 11 that New Champions program manager Jed Barnum hopes will make gay men feel empowered to fight the epidemic of meth use in the community. The campaign, which consists of newspaper ads, bar cards, magnets and brochures, evokes the aesthetic of Soviet propaganda posters and contains a drawing of a confident, heroic looking man and the slogan "Resist Meth." Barnum said the ad, which is also running in San Francisco, was supposed to recall the spirit of ACT-UP and Queer Nation posters, and he hopes it will serve as a "call to action."

"Essentially it's a campaign about empowerment, and the idea that it's not really so much about demonizing meth use as it is about encouraging guys to take a stand against meth and promoting the idea that they can resist meth, that it's something that is doable, feasible, a call to action," said Barnum.

While some anti-meth ad campaigns in other cities have taken a hard-line approach to condemning meth use (One New York campaign used the slogan "Huge sale! Buy crystal, get HIV free!"), Barnum said men in the focus groups conducted in Boston and San Francisco during the development of the campaign preferred an affirmative, empowering message.

Barnum said participants in the New Champions program will be involved in the bar outreach and street outreach for the "Resist Meth" campaign, passing out materials and giving people information about crystal meth. The campaign materials direct people to the website resistmeth.org, which gives information about resources for recovering from meth addiction.

For those who would like to get involved in the campaign and the effort to educate the community about crystal meth, Fenway is holding a New Champions peer educator training June 23 at AIDS Action's MALE Center. To find out more information about the training or to RSVP contact Barnum at 617.927.6384 or jbarnum@fenwayhealth.org.

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