AHF Sparks “Sexual Revolution 2.0”

In News by AHF

The “Sexual Revolution” of the 1960s was about public freedom of sexual expression in action and orientation – Now, AIDS Healthcare Foundation is sparking “Sexual Revolution 2.0” to allow that broad, accepted sexual expression to be free from the spread STDs and HIV

LOS ANGELES (July 22, 2013) – The “Summer of Love” in 1969 saw the birth of America’s “Sexual Revolution,” a social movement that led to the broad acceptance of non-heterosexual orientations and the normalization of sex and what had been defined as “alternative” sexual practices. This upheaval of strict social standards surrounding intimacy is what allows for the open acceptance of sexuality that many enjoy today.

However, as sex, homosexuality and polyamory – meaning open relationships with multiple partners simultaneously – became more widely accepted, the normalization of protection from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, did not grow at the same rate. Many believed that the use of condoms or open conversations about sexual histories equaled a stymying of the basic freedoms of the Sexual Revolution. AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest global AIDS organization in the United States, does not agree.

“Sex should be one of the best parts of life, not something that leads to a major diagnosis like becoming HIV-positive which permanently alters not only your sex life, but also your daily life with remembering to take medications to control the virus,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AHF. “Sexual freedom is a birthright, the first Sexual Revolution proved that – now Sexual Revolution 2.0 is demonstrating that sexual health should also be a birthright. As we fought for the right to sexual freedom 45 years ago, we must fight with the same tenacity for the right to sexual health today.”

With the goal of showing safer sex practices like condom use and open dialogue between sexual partners as an equally normal, sexy and enjoyable part of sexual experiences, AHF is launching a new ad campaign and website to support the spark of Sexual Revolution 2.0. The advertisements, which are being posted around Los Angeles this week, feature tastefully displayed male and female bodies evoking the beauty of sexual connections, along with the URL “SexualRevolution2.org,” which is the campaigns informational website.

At SexualRevolution2.org, one can access a trove of information on safer sex practices and reducing the stigma surrounding sexual responsibility, including an intensive guide to how to keep safer sex practices – including getting tested for HIV and other STDs, communicating with your partners, and engaging in intimacy that doesn’t include skin-on-skin genital contact – fun and sexy. Tips include slipping a condom on one’s partner during kissing and foreplay to keep the mood hot, and putting a drop of water-based lube inside the condom prior to putting it on to ensure comfort.

“Education is commonly the only thing stopping someone from doing what is best for their health and wellbeing,” Weinstein added. “With this campaign, we want to provide the tools and knowledge that will prove once and for all that safer sex really is greater sex.”

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