TODAY: GMHC Hosts "What is the Message?! A Community Discussion on HIV Prevention Campaigns Targeting Gay and Bisexual Men"

What:                     Community leaders and concerned individuals will gather to discuss the state of                                  HIV prevention campaigns targeting gay and bisexual men.  This is particularly timely as                                  the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released a second                                  installation of its campaign, "It's Never Just HIV" in the city subways.   Participants are                                  encouraged to bring ideas for future HIV prevention campaigns.  Where:                  12th floor, GMHC, The Tisch Building, 119 West 24th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues),                                  NYC When:                    WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011             6:30 pm to 8:00 pm Who:                      Guest panelists include: Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr., Deputy Editor, POZ; Editor-in-Chief, Tu Salud Jacoby Johnson, Managing Director - Black Men's Initiative, Harlem United Tokes Osubu, Executive Director, Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) Les Pappas, President & Creative Director, Better World Advertising Daniel Siconolfi, MPH, Project Director - Center for Health, Identity, Behavior, & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) Monica Sweeney, MD, MPH, Assistant Commissioner - HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Guest moderator:  Sean Cahill, PhD, Managing Director - Public Policy, Research & Community Health, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) Topics to be discussed include: §  What are effective HIV prevention messages that reach gay and bisexual men? §  Do scare tactics work? §  How should AIDS service organizations and government agencies involve community in the development of campaigns? Why:                      From the beginning of the epidemic, gay men have been developing courageous and                                innovative solutions to reducing HIV, often lending their prevention activism to                                communities of color and heterosexual people.   There is still a pressing need for safer sex                                education as HIV and AIDS are critical public health issues, especially among gay men                                and people of color.  More:                    The discussion is free and open to the general public.   Co-sponsors:  Center for Health, Identity, Behavior, & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS), Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), Harlem United