The new campaign of HIV prevention, launched by Public Health France, the agency bringing together the National Institute for Prevention and Education for Health and the Institute for Public Health Surveillance created the controversy. These prevention displays show photos of men entwined, or ready to kiss, with the slogan “situations vary, so do methods of protection”.
“This prevention campaign targets homosexual men, it is because the epidemic of AIDS soaring among gays, this is where we must concentrate most of our efforts, ”explained last October, François Bourdillon, the director general of the national public health agency.
Justice seized by the Minister of Health
The mayors of Angers and Aulnay-sous-Bois have imposed on poster JC Decaux to remove its posters from their cities. For Bruno Beschizza, mayor of Aulnay-sous-Bois, they are “contrary to good customs and morality”, and “undermine dignity at the risk of offending the sensitivity of childhood and youth”. Christophe Béchu mayor of Angers wrote to Minister Marisol Touraine to mark his “indignation” and declared to ban the campaign “to protect the youngest children from visuals and messages”.
Following the installation of the posters, ten cities out of the 130 where the campaign is broadcast, asked JC Decaux to withdraw it. What the company is contractually obliged to do. As a result, Marisol Touraine, the Minister of Health took the matter to justice.
“For public health and against homophobia, I am taking legal action after the censorship by certain mayors of the campaign of HIV prevention“.
“Some refuse to see two men together, they want to censor this campaign? Share it! Your retweets are the best answer. Love is love ”, concludes Marisol Touraine, who reminds us that information on screening, vaccinations and other means of protection is available on the site sexosafe.fr.
Read also:
Ten years in prison for deliberately transmitting AIDS
HIV self-tests will be free for populations at risk
HIV: 2,000 self-tests sold every week
