Health

‘The PrEP Project’ Video Series Tackles HIV Prevention

The PrEP Project
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For those of you who don’t know, PrEP is a once-a-day pill used to prevent the transmission of HIV. Even without a condom, PrEP significantly reduces the risk of having HIV spread between partners. A recent study conducted at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco examined 600 high-risk gay or bisexual men over two years.

The participants started the study HIV negative and took a daily HIV prevention medication called Truvada (pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP). And, the results concluded that 100 percent of the participants remained HIV-free.

Related | Watch S**t Gay Guys Say About PrEP

While there are numerous resources available online, many men are still unaware how, when and why they should or shouldn’t be preparing for safe sex by taking PrEP. And for that reason, Filmmaker Chris Tipton-King created “The PrEP Project”, a series of educational videos about PrEP. Tipton-King made his four-part PSA promoting PrEP as part of a film school assignment, and it tackles bareback sex in a realistically explicit fashion.

According to The PrEP Project YouTube channel, the series is “part documentary, part short film, and with a standout cast featuring Leo Forte (gay adult film star), Rock Evans (Miami’s Miss Toto, the bodybuilding drag queen — appearing here in male beefcake form), and more.”

Related | This PrEP Campaign Encourages Gay Men to F*ck Raw

“The PrEP Project is a series of videos that are sex ed for the 21st century, taking the fear out of the HIV epidemic with fun and outrageous frankness. With Eric as our guide, scenes illustrate the issues at hand with levity and ‘wow, they went there!’ sensibility.”

HIV activist Eric Paul Leue (Mr. LA Leather, former health and outreach director at Kink.com, and current executive director of the Free Speech Coalition) narrates the erotic tales and explains how PrEP helped him overcome his aversion to using condoms. Leue and Tipton-King believe it’s silly to expect people to use condoms every time they have sex. Although promoting the use of PrEP is controversial, the video covers the risks of contracting other STIs while having unprotected sex.

Related | How to Have Safer Bareback Sex

Whether or not you agree with all the messages in “The PrEP Project,” it definitely grabs your attention and addresses the issue in a way that many gay men relate to. All four parts have been combined into one video for your education and viewing pleasure.

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