Both the NZ AIDS Foundation and Body Positive are remaining tight-lipped regarding the cover story of the most recent issue of HIV NZ which questions the NZAF's safe-sex promotion strategy. Under its former title, Collective Thinking, the publication was in recent years published by the NZ AIDS Foundation. Following pressure to relinquish it, and it's Ministry of Health-derived funding, to HIV peer-support organisations, and concerns that under the NZAF it had become less a voice for HIV-positive people and more a mouthpiece for the Foundation, it was formally handed over to Body Positive last May. Part of the agreement underpinning the handover was that Body Positive and its associated HIV+ peer support organisations would not cut across the Foundation's core safe sex HIV prevention strategy based on the message to gay and bi men: "Use a condom and lube for anal sex every time." However, GayNZ.com Daily News understands there are concerns within the NZAF regarding the cover story in the current issue: "Is New Zealand's Condom-Only Policy Enough?", penned by Body Positive General Manager Bruce Kilmister. The article, written for a readership of HIV-positive people who are primarily gay and bi men, questions the NZAF's core message and prominently highlights an entirely different approach, adopted by Australia and enshrined in the 'Melbourne Declaration.' As a result Australia promotes guidelines assisting people to make their own decisions on condom use based on how they perceive their own risk factors. In particular it embraces a more liberal use of pre- and post-exposure dosing with HIV medications. Responding to questions to the NZAF from GayNZ.com Daily News, the two organisations have released a joint statement: "The editorial panel of HIV NZ, established in the agreement between Body Positive and NZAF, will be meeting in late May to review the last issue and plan the next. It is not appropriate for any public comment about HIV NZ to be made outside of this collaborative process at this time." At the time of the hand-over to Body Positive Kilmister said the publication would in future have total editorial independence. In recent years the HIV epidemic amongst gay and bi men in Australia has continued the upward trend seen in similar communities world-wide whereas in New Zealand it appears to be trending down. Historically the New Zealand epidemic has never reached the high levels experienced overseas, a situation generally attributed to the NZAF's consistent promotion of its core message, amongst other factors.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 16th May 2013 - 11:04am