Am I becoming a prude?

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Over the tip line we got word from runyolarun about an organization up in Toronto that is promoting itself with a new set of agency posters:

“The Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention is a community-based, non-profit, charitable organization committed to providing health promotion, support, education and advocacy in a non-discriminatory manner for those who identify as South Asian living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.”

ASAAP is a Toronto based AIDS service organization. It was founded in 1989 as a result of the voluntary efforts of members of Khush (a social group for South Asian gays and lesbians that has since closed down), in a community response to a request for support for a South Asian couple infected with HIV/AIDS who died in isolation, unable to access services in their own language. Our catchment area is greater Toronto and all the surrounding suburbs/towns. Our services include preventative education, support to South Asians infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS, outreach, and advocacy. Services are available in Tamil, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Bengali. You may need to call ahead to arrange assistance in South Asian languages.

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p>Seems like they do great work. I realize that I am about to possibly get myself labeled as a prude with the following comments (which I assure you is not true), but I’m just not that into their new posters. In my opinion AIDS education has always been difficult because too many people continue to associate AIDS with homosexuality or otherwise “deviant” behavior. In truth, as we all know, AIDS can affect anyone, and an important part in trying to educate people about the disease should be to reach out to populations who think they are above risk. With that in mind I feel like these posters are a bit too racy. I can’t help but feel that many people will think, “Oh, I’m not like the people in those posters (even the one of the straight couple). This doesn’t concern me.” To be specific, the first poster, which seems to be that of an orgy, has several buzz words on it which include “Slip n’ Slide,” and the poster of the Lesbian couple includes the single word, “fist.” Are orgies popular in South Asian communities in Canada (if so I am leaving Jesusland tomorrow)? Also was it necessary to use a clichéd Come/Cum pun on the poster of the straight couple? Am I just getting old? Do most of you like these posters?

107 thoughts on “Am I becoming a prude?”

  1. Enough of the conjectures – let’s wait for Special Agent Ang to return with the scoop.

    I wish I were a special agent!! However, I don’t wish I was an accountant, and nor do I pretend to be one 😀

    Sigh.. so much homework and reading here at Sepia Mutiny! After watching the Office for the clean-shaven turban guy (was a terrorist remark, btw), now I have to read an annual report?!!! And don’t even start with the one time I watched the Apprentice to see what the Toral Mehta hoopla was about. The agony you put me through!!! 😉

    K, I didn’t put this in a spreadsheet or anything – just glanced, so don’t take this as authority…. Their income statement is VERY general, but the 80% definitely isn’t what it seems. Firstly, this is a not-for-profit service industry, not a manufacturing industry, so their overhead is def not comparable to manufacturing overhead. In my recollection, the expenses here aren’t outrageous compared to similar industry benchmarks. 2nd, there are at least 8 people on staff – living in Toronto is expensive, so let’s hope these 8 people have other jobs to support themselves. 3rd, alot of the job titles indicate research, training, education, and marketing functions – all a part of the service they are providing. I don’t sense a missapropriation of funds, if that’s what you were trying to imply. If someone can deduce anything more significant from the brief income statement, I’m open to hearing it.

    Whether these ads are effective or not is another question. I don’t find them offensive, but like some others have noted, the older first generation need education, too – maybe more so. Lead Crow makes some good points.

    Now, must go back to Tiger Singh documentary on the CBC. I will hand in a signed sealed delivered copy of my report on said documentary, tomorrow… heh heh.

  2. it is totally obvious that they are referring to the days of the menstrual cycle just prior to the period.

    Again – does it make sense to ask a woman whether it’s ok to have sex between periods? Even a village idiot would know the answer.

    So now we have two options: Either they promote pre-puberty sex for girls, or they are complete idiots. Take your pic.

    The whole purpose of these types of organizations is to EDUCATE. The insinuation that “even a village idiot would know the answer” is the exact kind of thing these people are trying to avoid.

    People are embarrassed or feel awkward to ask questions about sex to which they do not know the answer and feel stupid for not knowing. You would BE AMAZED at the amount of misinformation and half-truths that are out there about sex even amongst undergrad college students. A superiority complex of ‘everyone-should-know-this’ does not help.

  3. U. Gandhi, reporting for the Globe and Mail

    TORONTO — A director of the AIDS Committee of Toronto has resigned, accusing the organization of launching a safe-sex campaign that is anything but safe — at a time when the number of gay men testing positive for HIV is rising in Ontario.

    There are interesting parallels to the discussion above – one side of the argument is

    “[The campaign] acknowledges that they are activities that people may engage in. The cards provide information about the risk and then about how people can reduce that risk,”

    The other side counters with

    “As a board member, I had the responsibility to exercise judgment,” … “But if you attack sexual freedom in any way, you’re a pariah. I just didn’t feel comfortable because I was challenging them on prevention education.” … “You’re not teaching them how to act responsibly. You teach them that there are bathhouses and they’ll get laid anonymously.”

    .

  4. Thanks for the link, Dhaavak.

    The below quote where Maxwell explains the group’s motive behind the bathhouse trips is quite upsetting:

    “There are some men who may come out into the community and not be aware of all the ways in which men may meet other men for sex,” he said, stressing the men were taken there during the day, free of charge, so they could be informed before getting into potentially unsafe situations themselves.

    This is just messed. Sexual health-wise it’s like a straight guy being taken to a brothel to ‘become a man’. I’m with Churchill on his stance. As for the cards, well, the group has bigger problems…like how noone’s reading the cards because they’re all busy going to bathhouses.

    I wonder if the bathhouses donate $$$ to the group?

  6. To be perfectly honest, I never even knew group orgies and gay sex went on in South Asian communities. I mean…isn’t it…considered…

    And I agree, it is a strange sight. I mean even “normal” couples who don’t engage in “deviant” behavior might contract AIDS and those posters do send the wrong message. But I must give them one thing – it’s an eyeopener, for sure.

  7. I think they’re hot! They are a bit racy yes, but I think the message is pretty clear. Whatever works to get peoples attention I guess.