Visitors leaving Coachella Valley via I-10 Westbound will see AHF’s latest cheeky outdoor ad pointing to free, nonjudgmental testing service locations
INDIO, CA (April 1, 2025) – Starting March 31st, travelers driving westbound on I-10 leaving Indio, California will see a music festival-themed billboard from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) with the words, “Bad Romance?” and the URL freeSTDcheck.org, pointing to free, nonjudgmental sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing services. The billboard coincides with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that spans two weekends in April (4/11 – 4/13 and 4/18 -4/20). The artwork will be up through April 27, 2025.
In 2024, festival officials contacted AHF and demanded the nonprofit healthcare organization remove its “Catch More than Vibes?” billboard which featured the same URL. AHF refused.
“We hope there are no bad romances during this year’s festival weekends, and we hope everyone who chooses to partner up practices safer sex,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF president and cofounder. “But if anyone does need STD testing services, we want people to know ours are easily located, nonjudgmental, and free.”
AHF provides free STD testing and treatment at 44 Wellness Centers in 14 states nationwide, plus Washington, DC. Five of those Wellness Centers are in California.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “over 2.4 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia were diagnosed and reported” in 2023. California ranks 21st in reported cases of chlamydia, 17th in reported cases of gonorrhea, 21st in reported cases of primary and secondary syphilis, and 13th in cases of congenital syphilis.
