Australia's Provocative Poster Campaign Promotes PrEP

Australians are spreading the word about PrEP through a clever, sexy poster campaign that launched last week.

Community grassroots activist organization PrEP Action Crew have produced and sent out PrEP full-color glossy poster kits to all the major gay male venues in Australia.

PrEP is cheap or free and available right now to anyone in Australia who gets a prescription from their doctor. That's the bold message on glossy full-color posters going out to 50 locations in Australia where Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and other affected groups are likely to see them and benefit.

"While we have been struggling to get PrEP listed on the PBS the unfortunate side effect has been to give our community the impression that PrEP is mega expensive and unavailable," said PrEP advocate Rodney Ellis. "That's not true and that information needs updating urgently. Anyone in Australia can buy PrEP online for under $37 a month delivered to your door."

Ellis said that many can join trials, and for those who can't even afford that or miss a place on a rrial, Green Cross Pharmacy have partnered with a number of PrEP community organizations or HIV/Healthcare organizations to provide absolutely free PrEP with free delivery via a coupon scheme.

"The PrEP Action Crew posters tell you that and give you links and starting points to follow up on one of those three options," said Ellis.

Ellis said that since he first started talking to people about PrEP in 2015 more than 2,000 people have seroconverted in this country.

"When we only had condoms to rely upon that was the best we could do but with the much greater effectiveness of PrEP, it's completely unacceptable," said Ellis. "We are seeing the seroconversion rates plummet in Australia and all around the world because of PrEP and I think we will never see numbers in the thousands ever again. The posters are a 'go' signal to our community that PrEP has arrived, it works, it's available and we can focus on it as a genuine tool to make ourselves safe and end HIV transmission for our community."

The posters have been produced solely with the donated funds from the community and volunteered time and talent from the photographer and models. Green Cross Pharmacy have donated the postage. Working with international PrEP activists the poster has been produced in Spanish for Spain and one in German is in the works. Versions specific to New Zealand are planned in collaboration with the great guys from New Zealand AIDS Foundation.