Recently, the Gay & Lesbian Times added a new advertisement to our publication that sparked a bit of controversy (advertisement on page 85 of this issue). We have received several phone calls and emails from members of the community protesting the publication of this ad.

What is this advertisement? An individual, putting his money where his mouth is, purchased a full page ad which calls into question everything we believe about HIV and AIDS.

At first glance, the advertisement appears to be an article. The Gay & Lesbian Times, while it should have been, wasn’t quick enough to take notice of its misleading presentation, but has since added text to make clear to the reader that this is, without a doubt, an advertisement.

The catchy headline, “San Diego’s sexiest men already know this!”, draws in the reader effectively. After just a few sentences, BAM, you’re hit with a radical perspective unknown to the general public and many HIV-positive individuals.

The advertisement begins by questioning the legitimacy of Dr. Robert Gallo, one of the doctors credited for establishing the link between HIV and AIDS. The advertiser asserts that no solid proof exists that HIV causes AIDS, and says that the medical community has halted research as to other possible causes of AIDS, prematurely accepting Dr. Gallo’s conclusions.

The ad also questions the validity of HIV tests currently being used. Since not one of the HIV tests are FDA approved and all possess disclaimers stating that a positive result is not conclusive of HIV infection, the advertiser discredits their reliability as an accurate method of testing for the HIV virus.

The advertisement then outlines a conspiracy-based argument, touching on the partial relationship shared between pharmaceutical companies and the doctors prescribing the medications, implying that the profit made off of HIV drugs is an end to itself.

This message is seen as dangerous for many reasons, one of which is that the advertiser seriously questions the validity of HIV testing and goes so far as to recommend scrapping the HIV test altogether, claiming that HIV tests can give false positives for alternative viruses such as the flu, herpes and tuberculosis.

In response to the fact that the tests have disclaimers: While this may be so, almost everything today has some sort of disclaimer to protect itself from liability. For example, inflatable pool furniture warns it may cause suffocation and children’s toys must print that they may cause choking, but these warnings are in response to a small percentage of suffocation and choking incidents overall – it does not mean that a floating armchair or Lego castle is routinely harmful.

Imagine if you will, a somewhat impressionable individual reading this ad, already dreading and fearing their first, second or even 100th HIV test. After reading this advertisement, it is not hard to understand why someone may decide to dispose of a regular testing regime. Moreover, what about the newly infected individual who does not want to face his current reality and chooses to dismiss his latest test results? He may stop or never begin treatment and possibly choose unsafe sex practices, furthering the spread of the virus.

The ramifications continue. The advertiser attempts to cast doubt that HIV is the actual cause of AIDS. This message will dilute the severity associated with becoming HIV positive. If a portion of the public believes that the HIV virus does not cause AIDS, this could slowly roll back years of progress achieved by outreach, education and millions of dollars devoted to fostering a connection between the transfer of HIV through sexual contact and the transgression of HIV into AIDS.

The Gay & Lesbian Times does not agree nor support the statements made in this advertisement – yet the ad will remain. We have to leave it up to the reader to determine whether the information is just, or really just a load of crap. The Gay & Lesbian Times does not pick and choose amongst advertisers in order to promote its personal agenda. Only in extreme cases in which the advertisement undoubtedly promotes inappropriate, offensive, and/or illegal material, will the Gay & Lesbian Times intervene. Thousands of advertisements promoting potentially harmful products and activities are presented to the public daily. This, unfortunately, may be one more to add to that list.

As offensive as we find it, there are also people who advertise barebacking in our publication. But we firmly believe that it is not illegal to be an idiot. Of course, we couldn’t disagree more with this advertisement’s message, but the paper is published to foster thought, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas and opinions.

While we are on the topic, it wasn’t too long ago that most of what is in this paper would have been edited out of mainstream publications. So we say challenge conventional thought, stand up and shout your opinion.

And yes, even though we strongly disagree with much of the aforementioned HIV/AIDS ad, contradicting our position, this ad does possess one or two admiral qualities: it questions popular belief and infers that there is a lot we still do not understand about this disease. Indeed, there needs to be a watchdog over doctors, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Likewise, it’s necessary to evaluate the way in which the healthcare industry handles chronic illnesses – as they often over-prescribe medications and fail to assess the patient for his or her specific needs. And last, despite its far-reaching message, the advertisement did not fail to acknowledge the importance of safe sex.

So that’s our position. It may not be what you want to hear, but hopefully it clearly explains this paper’s policy on advertising and has cleared up any confusion as to our intention by publishing the advertisement.