Men may not come to prevention programs that are labeled as prevention programs, but they will come to ones that address dating, relationships, and disclosure, and those that provide an opportunity to interact with other HIV-positive individuals. And they feared being threatened with coercive measures from public health or law enforcement if their risky sexual practices became known. Keith Barland also started a Seattle program for HIV-positive men. When we marketed it strictly as a prevention program, boy, the phone calls didn't happen. His workshops evolved into discussion groups that focused on relationships.
Guys talk about the sense of isolation they feel.
A number of AIDS organizations have already reshaped their prevention strategies to keep apace with the shifting epidemic. Gay Men's Health Crisis' ongoing sexual health survey has not only provided data for future prevention strategies but has also proved a powerful prevention tool itself. Programs like these that move and change quickly may have to become the norm in the next wave of prevention. As Ron Stall has said, the country is either in the post-AIDS era or the eye of a hurricane. Karin Halperin is a New York feature writer.