HIV on TV: Conversations with Young Gay Men

Abstract

This article addresses how some gay undergraduate males make sense of a fictional story about an HIV serodiscordant gay couple struggling to negotiate their romantic relationship in light of sharp opposition from friends and family. In small focus groups, study participants watched and discussed this HIV storyline from the American premium cable series, Queer as Folk. These conversations revealed what these young men thought about this representation, the ‘safe sex’ message they perceived the TV show to be imparting, as well as their fears and misunderstandings about HIV, in general. In addition to gaining a better understanding of how gay audiences may consume these HIV related stories and incorporate them into their own lives, these findings illuminate the possibilities for HIV prevention through television entertainment that appeals specifically to young, gay audiences and the usefulness of focus groups, as a research method, in the promotion of HIV awareness.

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