Farewell to Scott Abrahams

Scott Abrahams, outgoing CEO of Star Observer, makes this timely observation:

When someone in the community finds the courage to take a stand, we bitch about them, belittle them and hide behind the cloak of online anonymity to to take personal swipes at them. I know it is true — I’ve been on the receiving end of plenty of these attacks, and almost every community leader I know has been through the same cycle. They are disturbing, vicious, gutless attacks designed not to further debate, but to hurt and wound. And they do us no favours.

I agree, and I would love to know why we’ve reached this point. Any thoughts?  Thanks, Scott.

Prevention campaigns missing the mark with young gay men

Last week the NCHSR e-Newsletter landed in my inbox with a lead story on the sexual health needs of young gay men in Australia.

Results revealed that while younger gay men reported similar rates of unprotected anal intercourse as older gay men, their HIV/STI knowledge was lower and almost three out of ten had never been tested for HIV/STIs. Poor knowledge and low testing rates among younger gay men seem to be related to lack of exposure to HIV campaigns reported by almost a quarter. (emphasis in original)

This issue may sound familiar to long-time readers.  I have argued that Victorian prevention strategy between 1999-2009 has focused on men aged 30-49 and neglected young gay men, whose life interests and experiences differ in important ways.