“Before you drop it like it’s hot, ask for his status!”

“Asking your sexual partner’s HIV/STD status can be as difficult as finding affordable housing in San Diego.”

“Is asking his status on the menu for tonight?”

These are just a few of the catchy phrases being used by the Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) Gay Men’s Health Program in their current High Risk Behavior Change campaign. The program is called “Clear the Air,” and its purpose is to encourage the gay community to inquire about their sex partners’ HIV/STD status.

According to Robert Lewis, director of HIV Services at Family Health Centers of San Diego, “The goal of the campaign is to increase community awareness and discussion about HIV and STD status, eventually leading to an increase in individual action and ultimately a decrease in the spread of HIV and STDs.”

Forty-one percent of respondents to a recent survey conducted by FHCSD reported that they did not ask their sex partners’ HIV/STD status. It was found that gay men in San Diego are more likely to disclose their own HIV/STD status to their sexual partners than to ask for their partner’s status.

“Individuals who completed the needs assessment reported that the fear of asking HIV status would make their casual sexual partners feel judged, insulted or suspicious of why they want to discuss the topic, which might reduce the likelihood of actually having sex,” Lewis said.

Also noted in the survey results was that 75 percent of respondents reported personally drinking alcohol before having unprotected anal sex during the past year, and 71 percent reported having unprotected anal sex with a partner who had drank alcohol. Lewis said the link between excessive alcohol consumption and increased risky behavior is another issue that has been consistently identified in each year’s needs assessment.

As a response to these findings, an additional series of print ads have been added to the campaign. For example, one ad reads: “We all have a cocktail. Mine was a cosmo. Seven cosmos in one night and an internet hook up changed that. Now the only cocktails I have are my HIV Meds… Excessive Drinking = Risky Sex.”

The campaign is using a number of advertising methods to get the message across. Materials are currently displayed on billboards, bus shelters, small displays with take-one cards in local businesses, ads in local GLBT publications – including the Gay & Lesbian Times – and banner ads on gay.com and planetout.com. Also, for the first time, ads on local cable television stations are being aired. The commercial is airing on selected channels and times to reach the target population following shows such as “Project Runway,” “Queer as Folk” and “Will & Grace.”

Several of the print materials have been designed to emulate commonly seen advertisements in publications. One of the ads looks like it’s advertising “Hip Hop Friday Nights” at a bar or club, but includes messages related to the Clear the Air campaign. Another looks like an ad for the fictional “Elegance Villas Hillcrest,” imitating a typical condominium sales ad, but again offers information about the program. Advertisements have been running in local publications since July.

The campaign is not designed to discourage people from patronizing bars or to demonize alcohol consumption, said Victoriano Diaz, social marketing coordinator for Family Health Centers of San Diego. However, personal responsibility is emphasized.

“Our message is not that drinking or going to bars results in risky behavior, but rather that it is an individual’s responsibility to protect themselves and their community,” Diaz said.

This year marks the third year of this project, which began on July 1, 2004.

“Each year of the project includes the development, launch and evaluation of a campaign designed to reduce the spread of HIV in San Diego,” Lewis said. “Each year’s campaign messages are designed to refine and build upon those from the previous year.”

A strategic planning team, which is made up of service providers, local organizations and community members, guides the planning and implementation of the annual campaign. Organizations such as the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, The Center, Stepping Stone of San Diego and the Council of Community Clinics have worked with FHCSD since July 2004 to help guide the campaign’s development.

The program is funded by San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency’s HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) serves as the project’s outside evaluator and conducts a review of the campaign. They analyze findings from a communitywide survey and any comments received during the campaigns run, according to Lewis. Upon completion of each year’s evaluation, the findings are turned over to the strategic planning team, which uses the information to develop future campaigns.

More information about the campaign can be found at www.gaymenshealth.org.