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AHF Launches World Condom Day, Hands Out 20,000 Free Condoms on Sunset Strip
Friday Night Event Featured Distribution of Valentine’s Day-Themed LOVE Condoms via AHF’s “LOVE Condom Mobile” and the Premiere of Condom TV Ad Rejected by Fox
Los Angeles, Ca - February 17, 2009
On Friday night, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) hosted a kick-off event to declare February 13th World Condom Day and distributed 20,000 free Valentine’s Day-themed “LOVE” condoms via its “LOVE Condom Mobile” along Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The event took place in the heart of the Sunset Strip at 8410 Sunset Blvd. (at Kings Rd.) underneath the “jumbo-tron” on which AHF premiered a condom TV ad that was rejected by Fox Television. The event also marked the launch of AHF’s worldwide condom campaign. More information can be found at www.getfreecondoms.org
Earlier in the day, AHF hosted a press conference and teleconference to challenge the Los Angeles FOX Television network affiliate’s refusal to broadcast a straightforward, fact-based 30 second television advertisement in which actress and AIDS activist Sheryl Lee Ralph discusses the importance of condom use and HIV testing. AHF tried to purchase commercial time during the Sunday evening broadcast of FOX’s popular animated series “Family Guy’ a shown known for its raunchy and racy content.
FOX’s unexpected refusal to broadcast AHF’s paid HIV prevention advertisement during this Sunday’s prime time ‘Family Guy’ episode coincides with the group’s previously planned Valentine’s Day condom campaign Friday February 13th—which will kick off as scheduled in West Hollywood Friday evening starting at 9:30pm. That event will include the distribution of 20,000 free Valentine’s Day-themed ‘LOVE’ condoms along West Hollywood’s bustling Sunset Strip by street teams of AIDS advocates and via AHF’s ‘LOVE’ Condom Mobile.
“The rejection of this quite wholesome and straightforward public health message by the LA FOX affiliate is the height of hypocrisy given the amount of sexual content found in its entertainment program lineup including ‘Family Guy’,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “On any given day or night, Viagra and other erectile dysfunction ads run regularly on FOX—there seems to be no squeamishness about FOX airing shows like ‘Family Guy’ or selling commercial time to promote sex. However, FOX now draws the line when we try to promote condoms as a means toward HIV prevention. We strongly urge FOX to reconsider their misguided censorship of this commercial.”
AHF also submitted the television spot to The Los Angeles Time Warner Cable group to review the spot for the following networks: MSNBC, CNN, MTV, Lifetime, BET and TBS. They approved the spot for airing in any day part on all stations.
In an example of the sharp contrast between AHF’s straightforward public health television commercial and the racy, off-color content of FOX’s prime time ‘Family Guy’ series, the watchdog advocacy group, Parents Television Council pulled the following dialogue from the show:
• “I’ll bet you can’t get a boner”, which was replied to by “That’s not very nice, Brian”, to which “Brian replied, “Neither is your mother’s ass.”
• In another episode, Mr. Herbert, a “pedophile” babysitter …responds (to Chris, the older son on the series), “Don’t you mouth off to me or I’m going to smack you right in your penis.”
According to the website Wikia Entertainment, FOX’s ‘Family Guy’ has even gone as far to use the word “condom” in its own script dialogue. In the episode, "Emission Impossible", (Season 3, Episode #11) it is revealed that Chris was born as an accident, due to a broken condom.
In comparison, the script for AHF’s rejected HIV prevention commercial reads, “Hello, this is Sheryl Lee Ralph. Let’s talk. Let's talk about ...HIV. We have 56,000 new HIV infections every year in our country. Half of these are among African-Americans. That is too many. We don't like to talk about unsafe sex, but we can't afford not to. Sisters tell him to MAN UP. Use a condom and get tested together. Visit getfreecondoms.org to find out more.”
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About AHF: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation’s largest non-profit HIV/AIDS organization. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 95,000 individuals in 21 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org
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