CDC Launches New Campaign – Start Talking. Stop HIV. – For Gay and Bisexual Men

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launches the latest communication campaign under its Act Against AIDS initiative – Start Talking. Stop HIV. This new national HIV prevention campaign is the result of input from more than 500 gay and bisexual men from various racial and ethnic groups, ages, and geographic areas across the United States. The campaign was created by and for gay and bisexual men to promote open communication about a range of HIV prevention strategies for sexual partners.Start Talking. Stop HIV. features messages that engage, inspire, and spark conversations between sexual partners and provides gay and bisexual men with practical tools and tips for talking about important HIV prevention topics like:

• HIV testing and their HIV status,
• Condoms and engaging in lower-risk sexual behaviors,
• Medicines that prevent and treat HIV, including the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and antiretroviral therapy (ART).

More than thirty years after the first diagnosis of AIDS in the United States, gay and bisexual men provide conversation starters and accurate information to inform these life-saving conversations.

We invite you to help promote the Start Talking. Stop HIV. campaign. There are a number of actions you can take:

• Share this blog with your networks.
• Download and distribute campaign materials. Download digital banner ads and videos from our campaign website to add to your organization’s website and social media channels to start the conversation.
• Join the conversation on Facebook. “Like” the Start Talking. Stop HIV Facebook PageExit Disclaimer and share or respond to our posts. Also, direct your followers to check out our page and our website.
• Chat with us on Twitter and spread the word. Use the campaign hashtag #StartTalkingHIVExit Disclaimer and follow us on @TalkHIVExit Disclaimer, the Act Against AIDSExit Disclaimer Twitter account.
• Talk to everyone you know about HIV. A conversation is just the first step toward stopping HIV in the gay community.
• Use the campaign materials in your local area. Request printed posters, palm cards and brochures from CDC. Send an e-mail request to ActAgainstAIDS@cdc.gov.
• Incorporate Start Talking. Stop HIV. into community events and educational presentations.

Let’s take action –Start Talking to Stop HIV. Thank you for your efforts to combat HIV and for your continued support of CDC and Act Against AIDS.

To learn more about Start Talking. Stop HIV., visit cdc.gov/actagainstaids/campaigns/starttalking/. For inquiries about Start Talking. Stop HIV., email ActAgainstAIDS@cdc.gov.

Also by David W. Purcell, JD, PhD, Deputy Director for Behavioral & Social Science, CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, and Nickolas DeLuca, PhD, Chief of the Prevention Communication Branch, CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention