Education and Fear: Black and Gay in the Public Sphere of HIV Prevention

Abstract

In the third decade of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., African American gay and bisexual men constitute the largest growing part of those testing HIV-positive. Education and prevention efforts are being refocused on this population, but there has been a dearth of research on health promotion efforts specifically tailored for this marginalized group. This project examines HIV prevention media campaigns targeting African American gay and bisexual men through a content analysis and a cultural-critical approach. The researchers found that, among 40 social marketing campaigns, the primary tactics were educational and fear-based to promote HIV-related messaging to African American gay and bisexual men.