Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Sunday, December 2, 2001
Christopher Heredia, Chronicle Staff Writer
The first round of the 30-second ads proclaims that "AIDS Ain't Over" and that "1 in 5" gay men in the United States is HIV-positive.
One ad features an African man in Africa, asking viewers if they are aware that the 1-in-5 statistic applies to the United States. Another shows a white man at a grand piano, followed by a hammer nailing down every fifth piano key.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimate there will be 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States this year.
"The ad campaign is important for two reasons," said Tom Coates, director of the University of California at San Francisco AIDS Research Institute, who spoke with John at the news conference in Los Angeles where the ads were unveiled last night.
"No. 1, because it's being unveiled by Elton John and his foundation," Coates said. "It's important that celebrity leaders maintain their commitment to fighting against HIV/AIDS. No. 2, because it focuses on gay men, a group in which we're seeing a rise in new infections and who also represent a substantial part of existing infections."
In the Western United States, the majority of the new infections are among gay and bisexual men, Coates said. The foundation, created by singer-songwriter John, an openly gay man who says he is HIV-negative, plans to create future ads focusing on women with HIV and children with HIV.
The airtime for the ads was donated by the networks.
E-mail Christopher Heredia at cheredia@sfchronicle.com.
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