National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2010

Content From: Stephen Bailous, Vice President for Community Affairs, National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA)Published: September 21, 20102 min read

Topics

A review of the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (see the December 4, 2008 "HIV/AIDS - Advances in Hope Video Podcast" in the United States as it has evolved over the last 30 years has been significantly informed by these voices.

So why in 2010 does The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)Exit Disclaimer call for the observance of National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day? As a leadership organization, we know the statistics: men who have sex with men (MSMs) are disproportionately affected is not over. We know about complacency and the decrease in the public sense of urgency about the epidemicExit Disclaimer (PDF, 428 KB) We see the social media landscape, where health information seeking behaviorExit Disclaimer is a critical part of the public's Internet activity and where social media and the use of mobile and other technologies have become integral to our daily life. Much attention has been given to the online behaviors of MSMs in terms of seeking sex. Finally, we know that the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and its websiteExit Disclaimer offers factsheetsExit Disclaimer a poster and other resources for local event organizers and individuals.

I ask each of you to consider how your use of social media can support our messages, both on the observance day and year round. Please share with us how you are supporting National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.