Two HIV prevention ads targeted at gay men have been banned by advertising regulatory authorities in the UK following a single complaint from a woman who objected to their wording. The woman complained to the Advertising Standards Authority after seeing the ads in a newspaper for adults lesbians and gays in a Devon public library.
Both GMFA ads appeared in the Pink Paper. The first complaint concerned an ad in the “Relationtips” series and featured a photograph of two gay men holding a placard which said, “We’d rather fuck than watch TV.” The second advert for relationship counselling and courses for gay men, included the text "SEX & YOUR COCK ... learn all about your cock and pick up tips about wanking and blow job techniques ... THE SEX COURSE ... will help you learn about your mouth, cock and arse. Including tips on better blow jobs, and moving from pain to pleasure when getting fucked."
The decision to ban the ads came as a surprise to GMFA. The ASA’s secretariat had initially recommended that the complaints be rejected, but this advice was not accepted by the council which adjudicates on the suitability of ads published in the press, posted on billboards or broadcast at the cinema.
“We will be appealing these decisions,” said GMFA’s Matthew Hodson, who added that GMFA had been running ads in the Pink Paper including the word “fuck” since 1994 without any previous complaint. It is understood that no complaint was made directly to the Pink Paper about the content or wording of the adverts.
Matthew Hodson added that GMFA’s adverts appeared after the main news section of the Pink Paper. Therefore he believed that the woman who made the complaint must already have been well acquainted with the content and intended audience of the Pink Paper by the time she reached the material she objected to.
The banning of the adverts could have significant implications for GMFA’s, and other HIV prevention organisations, campaign worked targeted at gay men.
Matthew Hodson explained that it was important that GMFA’s ads used unambiguous language that was understood by all gay men, emphasising that a group identified as being in particular need of HIV prevention information was gay men of low educational attainment. Furthermore, it’s thought that 25% of all gay men in London do not have English as a first language. “Everybody understands what fuck means, that’s why it’s so important to be able to use it in our campaign”, said Hodson, adding “I doubt if penile-anal penetration would be so readily understood.”
Although it is not known if the woman was affiliated to any organisation, a complaint within the Devon and Cornwall Police regarding the distribution of the Pink Paper was turned down the week before the complaint was made to the ASA.