HEALTH4MEN GAY DRUG USE AD CRITICISED
Gay men’s sexual health services provider Health4Men has been accused of associating the gay community with illegal drug use and of promoting drug abuse.
A controversial advert from the organisation, published in the latest edition of Cape Town’s Pink Tongue newspaper, shows the contents of its ‘drug harm reduction pack,’ which Health4Men offers at no cost.
The pack includes condoms and lube, as well as drug paraphernalia including straws and a card to ‘cut’ lines, and a candle and foil to ‘cook’ drugs.
The advert is titled “between the lines” and advises that “if you use recreational substances make sure you play responsibly – your health is on the line”.
An angry Donovan Steyl contacted Mambaonline about the advert and sent a complaint to SA GLAAD (South African Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
“I’m really sick and tired of the gay community being painted as drugging sexual deviants,” he said.
“What does this ad say to the youth who have not been exposed to drugs? To me it says ‘Cool….they even give you a card to cut your lines…'” Steyl railed.
In an open letter, Christina Engela of SA GLAAD, asked Glenn De Swardt, Programme Manager of Health4Men, if he does “not realise how it looks when a gay organisation links homosexuality with drug abuse?”
She went on to say: “This advert associates the two, and also lends credibility to the claim made by hostile entities that gay people ‘all’ use drugs… giving them the ammunition to say: ‘of course they do, because even gay health organisations advertise it!’
“Providing clean condoms, needles etc is acceptable…but also foil, gum and candles for ‘cooking’ their drugs? What is next – supplying the drugs to ensure a ‘safe’ source?” Engela asked.
“I think your ad is an unmitigated PR disaster for the LGBT community! Advertising safe sex tips is fine and acceptable – but ‘safe doping’?
“The responsible thing to do is to encourage drug users to get out of drug abuse, not to facilitate and positively reinforce them into continuing to use drugs.
“As this advert stands, it does untold harm to the image of the Pink Community, and also damages the image and credibility of Health4Men as a gay community partner,” Engela added.
She urged Health4Men to “change the advert – and to post a statement to clarify your position on the matter”.
Commenting on Facebook, Russell Chowles defended the advert. “Why have an ostrich mentality…drugs are rife in both gay and straight society – this is not encouraging people to use it’s telling them how to take care when they do….Do you really think telling people not to use will make a difference?” he asked.
Arion Bezuidenhout added: “Educating people to protect themselves even when other choices are wrong is crucial!!!! There is no way to pretend people [don’t] do silly things…”
Gary de Klerk, Editor of The Pink Tongue, declined to comment on the matter. De Swardt also did not respond to our questions about the advert at the time of publishing this article.
What do you think? Is Health4Men addressing the issue of unsafe drug abuse appropriately or is the advert in bad taste. Should the organisation be providing users with drug paraphernalia? Tell us below.
I agree. I’ve never taken drugs in my life and although the kits are probably necessary, advertising them as such makes us all look like screwed up individuals. Not cool!
So what qualifies you as an expert then? I use drugs sometimes, not often, and I think this is SUPER COOL, I was so impressed to see this being spoken about in such an open way, why would you want to deny it? Why would YOU feel so ashamed or guilty if you don’t use drugs yourself?
So does Health4Men promoting condoms and lubricant make us all look like crazy sex addicts?
Oh come on people! Grow up! You may not have taken drugs, but many of us do! So does distributing condoms and lube, and teaching guys how and why to use them, encourage guys to have sex? Health4Men is the only group in SA who see to be really clued up and who seem to DO something about the problems we have, and yes drugs and unsafe sex go together!!!! Everyone who says this is a bad move is a bloody hypocrite – at last someone is saying it like it really is and is brave enough to take a bold step in the right direction. The ad doesn’t make you look screwed up Deeve – your comment does.
Just another storm in a teacup – watch a few prissy queens get their knickers in a knot! Deeve just because you haven’t taken drugs is meaningless, I’d say that at least 80% of my friends do. Maybe gay guys in Upington or the Eastern Cape guys don’t do drugs but I can assure you that in Cape Town countless guys do, and the ad was run specifically in Cape Town in a local gay newspaper! These H4M guys know exactly what they’re doing, their ads and articles are inspiring and I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow hoped to cause some controversy with this ad! I’m with them all the way and the ad gets my nod – 10/10 for once again taking the lead, let’s hope others will follow….
It is totally wrong of mamba to say the ad is controversial just because ONE guy complained and a transgender person in PE wrote something about it! And what makes these two narrow-minded twerps guardians of our morals anyway? What happened to freedom of speech and freedom of association? Freedom of the press? Freedom to make choices?
I’m with Russell Chowles, quoted in the article – you can’t just tell people not to use drugs, just like you can’t just tell them never to have unsafe sex or never to speed when they drive. Personally I’m pleased that an organisation is doing something about this.
So who is this GLAAD group? Has anyone ever heard of them?
GLAAD = Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. They are a U.S. non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media. They host the GLAAD Media Awards annually and the last recipient was Madonna.
What has GLAAD ever done in SA? And btw the next Gay Media Award must, without a doubt, go to H4M for their really cool and innovative adverts, even their brochures are tops – including this ad a few people are bitching about but at least it has them talking about something important.
Sex, whether protected or un-protected, is perfectly legal. Narcotics on the other hand is not. In my opinion, the advert promotes illegal activities. On that ground, I do feel that this was not a responsible move from H4M.
Whether it is legal or not, guys DO use chems and will continue to use chems. Even in countries in Africa where being gay is illegal, punishable with death, men still have sex.
It’s not so much about whether they’re doing it; people will use drugs, they will steal, and they will murder. It’s about promoting irresponsible and potentially damaging behaviour (which is why it?s illegal). Gays having sex in Africa where it?s illegal to do so is a completely different story.
Uhm…. ?? Excuse me, who exactly is promoting drug use? How did you get to that one? The organisation is trying to limit the harm caused by drug use – read the advert carefully. Maybe you don’t use drugs, in which case: does this advert make you suddenly feel inspired to START using drugs? I somehow doubt it Fabe
Good point Gareth
Foil in case you need to cook…”Candle for cooking”…”Handy card for cutting lines”… If an organisation releases an advert directed at rapists, asking them to please use condoms when they commit rape, will you still defend them and argue that they’re trying to limit the harm caused by rape? It’s the same principle.
@Fabe, 1) Rape happens 2) A woman having a Femidom in her vagina would experience the trauma of rape but her risks of contracting HIV or STIs would be reduced…. Rapists are not the victims, the rape survivors are the victims and need to be protected, so
Fabe I don’t see what rape has to do with this, and I regret that someone can compare the horror of being raped to drug abuse! BUT, heaven forbid, if I was ever raped then yes, quite frankly, I would prefer the bastard to wear a condom.
True that every second guy cruising on Manhunt is wired on chems. True that the gay community needs to sit up and take notice. True that this advert is just being honest.
Actually I found the advert quite educational! I sometimes use chems as do most of my friends but just reading the advert has taught me things I didn’t know! Come on – who knew you could STIs from sharing straws???? The ad doesn’t make we want to rush out and get high but it will make me nervous to share a banknote next time!!!!
Chems are a huge problem for the gay community! I am personally anti drugs and I have struggled for ages to meet a partner in Cape Town who doesn’t do drugs at all, as strange as that may sound. Drug use seems to be endemic among guys who’re on the ‘scene’, and where do meet guys who aren’t on the ‘scene’? This advert was very needed, our community does have a big problem with chems..
Glenn must be chuffed with all the free publicity and awareness this has generated LOL and btw I support him and H4M all the way!
Steve you sound so pissed off, calm down mister and do a reality check….H4M isn’t a clinic, they’re a large organisation with several clinics. And they advertise in gay media, quite rightly, because everything they do is aimed at gay and bi men. So where do you want them to advertise? And btw, check their website, everything they do is 100% free, so they’re not advertising to make a profit – they’re advertising and promoting OUR health! I agree other gay organisations don’t advertise in this way – which puts the H4M guys way ahead of the pack! They know – like everyone else should – that there’s a direct causal link between drugs and unsafe sex! Google it – the research is there if you care to look for it. They’re recognising a real problem and, unlike other organisations, they’re doing something real about it – which may sound strange to you but somehow makes perfect sense to me. When you calm down, ask yourself why organisations like H4M distribute and promote the use of condoms and lubricant, instead of just telling gay men to stop having sex in order to prevent HIV? Your post is not food for thought, in fact it sounds as if you should be the one doing some serious thinking! Stop moralising about guys who use chems and face up to facts in the same way that H4M has done. And I hope they’ll keep doing so in the best interests of gay men’s sexual health! And remember to stay calm…. maybe a joint be such a bad idea? Whatever, I hope you’ll do some serious thinking. XxX
Even as a gay woman I know that H4M works with MSM: men who have sex with men, which includes gay, bisexual and even straight men who dabble in gay sex…. So no they’re not open to ALL, and yes they are the experts in gay men’s sexual health in SA if not in Africa.
I believe the message is clear for the target audience of the advert:
Unprotected sex is dangerous.
Drugs are dangerous.
Unprotected sex while on drugs is doubly dangerous.
Ensure that you protect yourself when CHOOSING to engage in dangerous conduct: your life is on the line.
The campaign is very apposite. Not only will it make those considering unsafe sex think things through within a context of ethical responsibility towards themselves and within the community of manhood, but also those men considering what drug to use tonight may well reconsider their pleasure within a context of “fucking” with their health and mortality.
The purpose of the campaign is clearly to reach men who do not think through their choices to take pleasure in dangerous activities, and to help them recognise that if they are going to put themselves at risk – in either context – preparedness is prevention of a potentially fatal decision.
Mollycoddling doesn’t save lives or integrity – Health4Men does both with this campaign.
In my opinion, those who have objections to this particular advert are NOT those men it is aimed at.
I find it regrettable that they could not understand this, finding posturing more important than brotherhood, health, and human life.
Thank you for a sane and reality-based post! A good point: not every advert or message in every newspaper is aimed at every reader! Just because I can’t afford to drive an expensive car, I don’t complain that the Pink Tongue newspaper is elitist for featuring an advert for Mercedes Benz…
Just so 🙂
Steve you sound like the person who laid the complaint, Donovan? There’s a story going around that you sell advertising space in gay publications and that you’re concerned that some of your advertisers (straight advertisers by the way!) might object to seeing this particular advert in a gay newspaper, which implies that your hysteria related to trying to keep gay publications “clean” of the truth is tied to your own financial interests? Would you care to comment on this?
here we go, there’s invariably a deeper hidden interest lurking behind these outbursts of moral superiority
No this is not ‘Donovan’…if you want him to comment email him directly! Im entitled to my opinion as is everyone else on this page.
I’d pay good money to see Glenn of Health4Men debate the seemingly prissy complainant on this one… Interestingly though this is not the first advert of this particular project, there have been two prior adverts that featured (wait for it!) a SYRINGE! This appeared in both the Pink Tongue and OUT magazine in Cape Town, as well as an article by Glenn explaining the project in detail. That article did make perfect sense and my understanding is that the gay community of Cape Town (if my friends are at all representative) are both curious and very supportive. I may be wrong but I think there was also an article here on Mambaonline about the project?
The editor of the Pink Tongue newspaper is also obviously aware of the drug problem among gay men in that newspaper’s host city, Cape Town, or otherwise he wouldn’t have published the advert. Pity though that he wouldn’t (or couldn’t more likely) endorse this project by H4M.
Don’t shoot the messenger!
H4M are doing what they (and other gay organisations) should be doing, raising awareness about critical problems that affect us. I think this advert is relevant and appropriate and I can’t understand what the fuss is about.
Someone please explain this to me like I’m a 5-year old?
1. I don’t do drugs.
2. I looked at the advert, I read the advert, I stared at the advert. I even sniffed the advert.
3. I still don’t do drugs.
Did I miss something here? Must I turn the advert upside down to see the encoded message that is supposedly going to make me start using drugs? Are there some hidden Satanic symbols my brain didn’t respond to?
Or will I experience an overwhelming desire to consume drugs when the clock strikes midnight tonight?
This is merely an innocent advert, aimed at guys who do use drugs – quite an impactful message, it seems, judging by all the comments!
There is no voodoo at play here – non-drug users are SAFE! No is no need to evacuate Cape Town!
LOL brilliant response I SPY, I love it
I think we should all thank the H4M guys for their innovative work and leadership in gay men’s sexual health in SA – demonstrated yet again by their current campaign – and also for eliciting such entertaining responses to one of their projects!
I’ve had to laugh out loud on several occasions reading the views expressed by one Ms Christina Engela and the ensuing comments on this site make for very amusing reading.
Clearly our gay community is not lacking in creative minds! Whether this is due in part to the use of recreational drugs is questionable.
An open message to Christina Engela and Donovan Steyl:
Do you deny that some elements of our community have a serious drug abuse problem, especially in larger urban environments such as Cape Town and Johannesburg? What do you base your opinion on?
Do you deny that there is a direct link between drug use and sex, and therefor drugs and sexual health? Again, what do you base your opinion on?
Would you rather that people die of Aids, or a drug overdose, than allow a very credible organisation to post an advert in a local gay newspaper alerting the public to the risks involved?
Since you objected to their advert, kindly explain what you suggest a proactive organisation such as Health4Men should do to address drug use and unsafe sex among gay men – other than simply ignoring the problem?
In the light of your objections to the Health4Men campaign, did you attempt to make contact with that organisation in order to discuss your concerns before you started posting messages on Facebook, and before you contacted Mambaonline?
I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting if I was you
WTF? Why a big fuss over an advert? Get real guys, there’s a real world out there. What about the environment, Govt corruption, the economy, joblessness, women being raped, social violence, the decline in education standards, transport costs, saving rhinos, saving species, saving the planet, saving lives?
So true – put into perspective this “issue” fades away into nothingness
Y A W N !
Reminds me of the few big mouths causing hassles for Jhb Pride, two small-minded people who clearly are way out of their depth here who should be reading glossy PRO magazines instead of poking their noses into areas they know nothing about.
Moving on…
Question for STEVE: how do you know about rizla’s naughty boy? A bit of a hypocrite are we, the pot calling the kettle black?
Well if the H4M group wanted to create awareness of drug use by gays they certainly were successful! I don’t think the advert is particularly good (that top font looks a bit too heavy for me?) but it sure is necessary and it is impactful. And like others did say already it doesn’t make me want to rush out and take drugs!
So could I, as a vegetarian, object to an advert that features meat because it promotes people to eat meat?
No I cannot and the same applies to people who don’t do drugs
Engela is into providing clean condoms? NO SH!T LOL
And then she asks if some dude does “not realise how it looks when a gay organisation links homosexuality with drug abuse?” LOL OH HELL THIS IS HEAVY SH!T MAN!
ENGELA IT LOOKS LIKE HOMOS ARE NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS!
THAT’S HOW IT LOOKS MAN!
HOMOS DO HUMAN STUFF!
@Donovan: An innocent advert in a gay newspaper by the leading gay organisation about harm reduction related to a very real issue among our community should be commended. The advert does not in any way suggest nor imply that all gay men use drugs. I don’t use drugs myself but I am pleased to learn about this campaign because I personally know countless guys who do use drugs. You and I may not need this service but countless others certainly do and people like you and I should allow them the opportunity this service affords them.
They hand out safer sex paraphernalia such as condoms and lube, no one objects to that except for the Pope most probably. So yes this is appropriate, End of discussion.
This complaint is just so lame! get over yourselves
During the height of Rave Culture, there was an organisation called Rave Safe that used to set up at the parties and hand out information and advice,such as drink water if you are going to pop an E, don’t mix with alcohol, etc., as well as having medics on hand. They were not promoting drug use, but were recognising that people were popping pills like sweets without knowing the risks.They no doubt saved a few lives. Health4Men are doing the same. In Amsterdam you can have your pill analysed. Perhaps if some people knew exactly what’s going up their noses, they might think twice. Ultimately, people will always take drugs, drink, have sex. Let people know the pros and cons and let them decide for themselves. The first step in solving a problem is admitting that there is one. No amount of moralising or judging or prohibition will stop people taking drugs, But education might, l.
Agreed, the South African party set all PNP over weekends, gay guys included, and so often the resultant sex is very risky. And with unprotected anal sex being THE most risky behaviour, I think H4M are simply being proactive. And yes maybe we are just a few light-years behind other countries in this regard, and people need to get used to the idea of them, and hopefully other LGBTI organisations, taking action! The ad may be controversial, but that’s what has made it so effective.
OK, I started reading this wondering what all the fuss was about (I still do wonder) but now I am really pissed off: someone has posted here comparing rapists to drug users. Rapists are the absolute scum of the earth and many women, especially lesbians, live in daily fear of being raped!!!! So what Fabe is saying is that people who use drugs are also bad or evil people, right? Which is maybe what everyone else who hates the advert thinks, why is this organisation trying to help bad or evil people! In which case I’m an evil person Fabe and I object to your moralising tone and judgement.
Good people also use drugs. Just like good people may have unsafe sex. Just like good people also get HIV.
And no, seeing a piece of tin foil does not make me want to use drugs and candles don’t make me go crazy but a card for cutting lines could just be useful to me one day if it contained the number of an organisation like H4M who wouldn’t judge me, insult my intellect or make me feel as angry and worthless as you do.
I’d like to apologise that what I said have offended some of you. I used that comparison to help prove my point.
I too occationally use drugs. I have no problem with people using drugs. Do I feel guilty or ashamed for using? I couldn’t care less what the next person thinks of me. Would I ever sugggest someone start using? No. Did the advert make me crave for my next fix? Not at all.
The point I was trying to make was that the organisation is publically “supporting” and providing the tools for an illegal activity that can cause harm to the user and even those close to the user, whether they use themselves or not.
My comparison to rape was an insensative one, and again, I apologise for that.
@Fabe: Your apology is appreciated and accepted, thank you, and I still disagree with you though. I don’t think the organisation is promoting the behaviour, I think they are reaching out to people who practice a behaviour. Hugely significant difference! I
De Swart should be stoned in public and whipped to within an inch of his life for reaching out to filthy drug users, people who have AIDS and other degenerates and perverts who dare to call themselves real homosexuals, he sullies the reputation of us REAL pure-bred homosexuals who are naturally Superior Beings. He should be banished to some distant planet still populated by common humans.
Why do you have to ignore reality. H4M researches before implementing a programme. There’s something called situational analysis, I don’t think the GLAAD group is familiar with the term. Situational analysis helps you come up with informed interventions which are relevant to the community you are serving. So whether you think H4M promotes drug abuse or not, that doesn’t change the fact that drug use is a problem that our community is facing. And if one is high, the chances of him falling into the trap of a risky behaviour are very high. So it is best to do everything, taking an informed decision. @Queen we don’t know your demons but everyone is not perfect, we all have demons, so do you. But we are all trying to fight our demons, so if there’s some organisation that cares like H4M, which wants to help us deal with our demons, just let it be. If something is not directed to you, just let it help those directed to.
Using drugs (Including abuse of prescription drugs, over drinking, too much sugar, smoking, etc) is just deliberately harming ones self. That is where I see the problem’s root being, in the desire to hurt yourself. People need to be loved and shown respect. That is what teaches a person how to love and respect themselves. Anyone who says they love themselves is a blatant liar, if they still abuse substances. For those dealing with (Or feeling like they can’t deal with) issues in their lives, obviously they feel the effect of drug use is their escapism. I would just like to see people being built up and not torn down. LOVE & RESPECT!