More than 15 local health and social service providers have teamed up to create a large-scale social marketing campaign, called We Know Different, to encourage young Latino gay men in San Diego County to find out their HIV status by getting tested.
Led by the Center for Strengthening Youth Prevention Paradigms (SYPP Center) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the National Youth Advocacy Coalition and community members, the campaign includes more than 15 billboards, radio and TV spots, social networking advertisement, and grassroots outreach and education that will ultimately draw this community to weknowdifferent.org. There, they can find “safe spaces” to get tested, meaning that any young person regardless of sexual orientation can be assured to receive non-judgmental, culturally competent and “LGBTQI friendly” care.
“They say we’re scared. They say we don’t care. They say we won’t stop AIDS. We know different,” the SYPP Center said in a statement to the press.
The national rate for HIV infection is three times higher for Latinos. Meanwhile, local statistics continually show that men aged 29 and younger who have sex with other men make up a large number of those who test positive for HIV.
For addition information about the program, or to learn where to get tested, log on to weknowdifferent.org.
