AEGiS-Miami Herald: AIDS Study Brings Media Attention to Sobe Community

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

AIDS Study Brings Media Attention to Sobe Community

The Miami Herald, Inc.; a Knight Ridder publication. One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 - Sunday, December 1, 1996 Edition: Final Section: Neighbors MB Page: 14 Word Count: 661
Eugene J. Patron, Herald Staff Writer

South Beach knows how to attract the limelight, though the reasons are not always something to crow about. A recently released study by Florida International University, showing sexual risk-taking among gay men in South Beach to be happening at an alarming rate, has attracted a wide range of media attention. Professor William Darrow, who led the study, has been busy answering questions from the Associated Press, Newsweek, the BBC and the local media. Now, CNN Special Reports is in town doing a 12-minute feature on HIV and young gay men. "Speaking to Dr. Darrow and other people in South Beach, it seemed to me that this is where the real ground level of research into the problem is taking place," says Bud Bultman, the CNN producer of the report. "We're being careful to avoid stereotyping gay men because we realize that unsafe sex happens in many contexts; not just in casual encounters, but in relationships as well."

While in town, the CNN crew will attend the White Party at Vizcaya and a two-part workshop, "Looking for Mr. Right. . . Right Now" and "Safer Sex in South Beach."

Randy Jansen of the South Beach AIDS Project, who will be conducting the workshops with local psychologist Dr. Larry Harmon, says there are many challenges to doing AIDS education in South Beach. Add to that the pressure of being in a community where tourism is many people's bread and butter.

"The tourism industry feels that AIDS is bad publicity," Jansen says. "It's like what I saw when I worked in Key West in the late '80s; the business community there was horrified that news reports about AIDS were going to keep people away, which it didn't. Moreover, the nature of the people who come to South Beach know AIDS is not something you can get from eating at a restaurant. You get it through personal behavior."

How to change unsafe personal behavior is the million-dollar question the FIU study raises. Jansen's approach is to help people learn how they can talk to a potential sex partner about practicing safer sex.

For information on the 8-10 p.m. workshop Friday at the Warsaw Ballroom, 1450 Collins Ave., call Jansen at 532-1033.

Power partying

Lee Schrager is the hero of the White Party this year. By day, he is the mild-mannered catering director at the Intercontinental Hotel, but when Schrager gets near a phone, he becomes the Superman of fund-raising. The man of steel persuasion was able to get 100 people to join his Friends of the White Party group and give $1,000 each to the Health Crisis Network. Among those who did were Gloria and Emilo Estefan and Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley. The Friends, along with other White Party sponsors, including entertainment industry heavyweight David Geffen, were treated this weekend to a dinner underwritten by China Grill at the Indian Creek Island home of Carolyn and Leonard Miller.

Looking for a few good superheroes of finance was the mission of Arnie Smith and Darren Mankovich of Acme Television during White Party week. The two South Beach entrepreneurs presented their plans for a high-quality gay and lesbian TV programming venture to a group of investors at the cocktail party this weekend.

"White Party seemed like the perfect time for us to bring together people from New York, Washington, Los Angeles and London who we have been speaking to," Mankovich says. "We invited them to a small gathering at the Astor Hotel to view our demo tape and discuss plans for broadcasting in 11 major U.S. cities next year. Everyone is very excited because there is no question that gay and lesbian consumers are a dream market for advertisers."

Out and Around is a column about gay and lesbian life in South Florida. Eugene J. Patron is a freelance writer. Material can be faxed to him at 868-4466 or e-mailed at epatron@aksi.net.

Copyright (c) 1996 Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reprint Permission: The contents of each issue of The Miami Herald are protected under the federal copyright act. Reproduction of any portion of any issue will not be permitted without the express permission of The Miami Herald. Reprints: 305-376-3719 Staff photos: 305-376-3756. Internal or personal use: Copyright Clearance Center, 508-750-4283, ext. 888; fax 508-750-4744. The Miami Herald or Knight Ridder shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
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Copyright © 1996 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.com.

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