Pattison company rejects AIDS ads for Gay Men

Its disgusting that Jim Pattisson won't run these ads on his bill boards. Its well known that Pattisson is a homofobic right wing christian jerk so it's not surprising that he would do this. This campane is really important to gay men because the hiv is way up with gays. Pattisson has almost all the bill boards in BC too. AVI should be in the news chalenging Pattisson for this homofobia. What is AVI doing about this?

Below is a letter sent to local media in response to Jimmy Pattison's companies refusal to allow the Think-again campaign to buy advertising space on his billboards and bus shelters.

Open letter to Pattison from Victoria Gay Men's Alliance (being sent to local media in Victoria including Sun, Province and CBC.)

Dear Mr. Pattison,

Canada's gay men's communities and the nation's HIV prevention workers are shocked that your company, Pattison Outdoor has refused to sell billboard and other outdoor advertising space for Canada's first national HIV/AIDS prevention campaign for gay men.

The "Think Again" campaign focuses on arming gay men with HIV prevention information by challenging the assumptions they may make about the HIV status of others. The Victoria Gay Men's Alliance recognizes the critical need for this kind of campaign in light of rising HIV rates in their communities, and fully supports the campaign.

Your spokesperson said to CBC "the messages and the visuals are inappropriate for our environment." Who's environment would that be? Certainly not the environments of the thousands of gay men who live in the very communities where this campaign would run. Your company's decision will mean thousands of gay men will not see the campaign, at a time when HIV rates are climbing among gay men faster than in any other population group*.

The Victoria Gay Men's Alliance was formed to support innovative programs for gay men and to challenge homophobia wherever it exists. Pattison Outdoor's decision, because of its near monopoly on billboard space in many gay communities, will negatively affect the health of gay men, as many will not see this campaign. The same campaign in the United States was credited with reducing the infection rates for HIV in many of the communities in which it ran. We urge Pattison Outdoor to think about the consequences of its decision, and to reverse it.

*HIV infection rates have been on the increase among gay and bisexual men. For 2002 Health Canada estimated that 40% of new HIV infections in Canada were among men who have sex with men, compared to 30% in 1996. This is the reason why it is important to reach this gay men target group.

Victoria Gay Men's Alliance

email the Gay Men's Alliance at victoriagaymen@yahoo.ca

For actions you can take, go to www.think-again.ca for the latest in information. If you write a letter, send a copy to men@avi.org or victoriagaymen@yahoo.ca

(Monday Mag Letter July 29, 2004)

Monday Mag July 29 - August 4, 2004

Illness is offensive, too

Re: AIDS message too graphic for billboard company, July 15-21

The reaction by Pattison Outdoor Advertising to an HIV/AIDS prevention campaign is churlish at least, and broadens to irresponsible at the other end of the scale.

If the spokesperson for Pattison Outdoor Advertising felt the text and images were inappropriate . . . well . . . I contend that the unforgiving images of death, sickness and ignorance is pretty inappropriate as well.

Pattison has clearly identified which evil they prefer: you know, the one that loses customers because people may be offended.

Austin Peckham, Victoria