HEALTH4MEN RESPONDS TO DRUG AD FURORE
Health4Men has responded to claims that it is promoting illegal drug use through an advert targeting gay men who use drugs.
Published in the latest edition of Cape Town’s Pink Tongue newspaper, the ad shows the contents of Health4Men’s ‘drug harm reduction pack’.
The pack includes condoms and lube, as well as drug paraphernalia such as straws and a card to ‘cut’ lines plus a candle and foil to ‘cook’ drugs.
Titled “between the lines” the ad advises that “if you use recreational substances make sure you play responsibly – your health is on the line”.
Following a complaint by Donovan Steyl, Health4Men received stinging criticism from Christina Engela of SA GLAAD (South African Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
She said that the advert does “untold harm to the image of the Pink Community” by linking it to drug use. She also argued that the campaign and the harm reduction packs would “facilitate and positively reinforce [drug users] into continuing to use drugs”.
Glenn de Swardt, Programme Manager for Health4Men, which provides sexual health services to men who have sex with men, responded to the accusations to Mambaonline and explained the organisation’s rationale for the advert and its drug harm reduction packs.
He pointed out that research had shown that “our community has a serious problem regarding drug abuse” and that there is a “direct link between substance abuse and sexual risk-taking behaviour”.
De Swardt argued that, “There is considerable international research available indicating that harm reduction interventions do not increase drug abuse,” adding that, “The suggestion that Health4Men is promoting such abuse is ludicrous and totally uninformed”.
Below is de Swardt’s full response:
Health4Men has indeed introduced a harm reduction project in Cape Town, in partnership with Amsterdam-based Mainline and funded by AidsFonds. This follows our increasing concerns regarding recreational substance abuse within the gay population.
We know this from the thousands of men who have accessed our six clinics for free sexual health services, and we have also conducted focused research. During 2012 Health4Men conducted two online surveys among gay men. One focused on drug use among gay men in Cape Town, while the second ﾖ the 2012 National online MSM Survey ﾖ explored factors such as online cruising patterns, sexual roles and behaviours, condom and lubricant usage and the impact of recreational drugs on behaviours and sexual health. Ethical approval and oversight was, in both instances, obtained from the Human Sciences Ethics Committee at the University of Cape Town.
The data confirm that, without any doubt, substance abuse among members of our community is hugely problematic.
I would go so far as to state that anyone denying that our community has a serious problem regarding drug abuse is out of touch with reality. Please note that I’m not suggesting that recreational substance abuse is more problematic among gay men than among straights ﾖ I am however deeply concerned about the impact of drug use on the sexual health of gay and bisexual men.
There is ample irrefutable evidence of a direct link between substance abuse and sexual risk-taking behaviour. In this regard the key term is invariably ‘disinhibition’: the phenomenon of mind-alerting substances making users less inhibited and hence more likely to take sexual risks than they would do without the influence of such substances.
The advert that Donovan Steyl complained about is for our harm reduction project, officially called Tikking the boxes. The term harm reduction is internationally recognised and describes initiatives to mediate the harmful outcomes of specific behaviours, such as recreational substance abuse. A need for harm reduction initiatives is often indicated when a behaviour that is potentially dangerous is unlikely to cease. In this regard seatbelts in cars can be seen as a form of harm reduction against speeding.
The HIV epidemic has also seen harm reduction interventions introduced ﾖ condoms! An early global response to HIV was the ABC model (Abstain, Be faithful to your partner, Condomise) which was a dismal failure, especially among gay men because changing peoples’ behaviour is never that easy.
Another example of harm reduction being utilised by Health4Men, as part of our combination prevention strategy, addresses the reality of many men choosing not to use condoms for anal sex. We’ve started teaching men who bareback about sero-adaptive behaviours ﾖ ways in which they may be able to reduce the risks of either transmitting or acquiring HIV. These include HIV positive guys only having sex with other positive guys, and in a sero-discordant situation, the HIV positive partner being the bottom during anal sex. This does not mean that we’re encouraging barebacking ﾖ it merely indicates that we’re aware of the realities of many gay men’s lives.
Similarly, we’re aware of both injecting and non-injecting drug use by gay and bisexual men and while we’re unlikely to stop this behaviour, we do need to address their sexual health in any way we can. Remember that guys who use drugs also have sex with men who don’t use drugs ﾖ the associated sexual health risks therefor impact on all of us, not only drug on users themselves.
A crucial element of the harm reduction campaign is the dissemination of appropriate information ﾖ each harm reduction pack therefore contains specially designed booklets. For example, hepatitis C (a nasty viral infection) can be transmitted by sharing a rolled banknote.
In order to be effective, harm reduction programmes need to be attractive to potential consumers. Regarding condoms, for example, we were aware than many men did not enjoy using freely available government condoms. We conducted research into this which culminated in our importing condoms which men report enjoying using. Our condoms are available in both natural and black, which has added to their appeal for many men.
Likewise, the content of our harm reduction packs was very carefully considered. We consulted with our Dutch colleagues and conducted focus groups with local gay and bisexual men. Initially we hadn’t planned to include tin foil and a candle, but this was specifically requested by gay men who do use drugs. As an organisation we have adopted an ethos of asking men what they need or want in order to make all our interventions more appropriate.
The plastic card contained in the packs was highlighted by Ms Engela ﾖ the card contains crucial information on where to get help in the event of an overdose, and where to get counselling or help regarding drug use.
There is considerable international research available indicating that harm reduction interventions do not increase drug abuse. The suggestion that Health4Men is promoting such abuse is ludicrous and totally uninformed.
I accept that some people may find the concept of harm reduction for gay men who use drugs difficult to accept. This harm reduction project obviously wasn’t developed for the likes of Ms Engela ﾖ it was very carefully designed and tailor-made for gay men who do use drugs and who are unlikely to cease this behaviour.
In essence it is aimed at improving gay men’s health by educating and supporting them to make appropriate choices.
Glenn de Swardt. Programme Manager: Health4Men
Well said, Glenn! Thanks you for the detailed and informative explanation which clearly illustrates that Health4Men do have their finger on the pulse
Hear! Hear!
Why do you have to ignore reality. H4M researches before implementing a programme. There’s something called situational analysis, I don’t think the GLAAD group is familiar with the term. Situational analysis helps you come up with informed interventions which are relevant to the community you are serving. So whether you think H4M promotes drug abuse or not, that doesn’t change the fact that drug use is a problem that our community is facing. And if one is high, the chances of him falling into the trap of a risky behaviour are very high. So it is best to do everything, taking an informed decision. @Queen we don’t know your demons but everyone is not perfect, we all have demons, so do you. But we are all trying to fight our demons, so if there’s some organisation that cares like H4M, which wants to help us deal with our demons, just let it be. If something is not directed to you, just let it help those directed to.
If this is really officially on behalf of the GLAAD group they don’t know much about being gay and what’s really going on out there, maybe a society for ostriches
More like the flat-earth society Themba, at least ostriches have elegant feathers to compensate for not having highly evolved brains
Even if someone were to quote statistics of a clinic treating drug users, it would indicate (say 80%) of their clients were gay males who used drugs, not 80% of the entire gay male population.
Regardless of how many people within that group labelled “gay males” use drugs, drug use is still a GENERAL problem, one which is not limited to the pink community at all – so I still fail to see why it is somehow being portrayed (by some, very vociferously) as being a specific feature of “gay life” alone. No matter how you try to cut this line, “Gay” does NOT necessarily = “drug user”
Personally I think this project is a complete waste of money that could’ve been used to better effect in finding better ways of encouraging people to not actually use drugs – even within the gay male sector alone.
The section on H4M’s website on drug use seems more of a “how to” than anything one would expect on a public resource aimed at protecting people from harmful substance abuse. With quotes like “Injecting drugs isn?t without risks, some of which can be avoided. We want to help you minimise these risks” I am hard pressed to understand the reasoning behind it. The danger presented by drug use, abuse and addiction, and the consequences of these are being honeyed over by the notion that someone is giving fatherly advice on how to use narcotics without messing up your health and dispensing free drug paraphernalia to any guy that wants it.
Whatever the reasons for the “party pack”, I think that H4M should look at better and smarter ways of advertising it, ito wording of their ads, presentation, and also in the wording of their downloadable guides on drug use etc.
Keep your conservative right-wing views to yourself – you are clearly so totally way out of your depth! Stick to trans issues and the local weather conditions in PE Engela, get out of the way and let people who DO know what they’re doing get on with it.
Just who the hell IS this arrogant woman offering up her idiotic advice and views as if she’s an authority?
Uhhhhmmmm – this woman? Not quite dear, she’s a trannie queen with her sights set on being an activist and who knows, maybe Hollywood?
In the last two months I have witnessed two gay men overdose at a gay venue in JHB. And just this week I saw a group of three gay men light up a glass tube thingy (I don’t know what you call them) and then inhale whatever crap it was they were getting high on. This venue has spaces where men can have sex in private. I am 45 years old and have never seen do many guys overdose in such a short time. So I think that Health4Men is more in touch with what is going on in certain sectors of the gay “community” than many gays people are. I support them all the way. I know that in Portugal the government allowed pharmacies to supply clean drug paraphernalia to addicts for free as well as disposal bins for their contaminated waste. The incidence of new drug-related HIV infections dropped quite rapidly. So I am all for Health4Mens initiative.
Furthermore, I think that we should worry less about keeping these ugly realities of the gay “community” out of public sight, and worry more about what to do to help those who create them. Once again, I think Health4Men is doing just that. Kol haKavod!
So in other words “M”, it makes sense to hand a junkie a “cool multi-compartment zip bag” full of drug tools and send them on their way with a pat on the back saying “play safely”? THAT is going to prevent drug overdoses and other drug-related deaths or reduce drug use in the community? Dream on.
Further, it should go without saying that clubs and venues that turn a blind eye to drug use on their premises should be reported to the police. The fact that they do this, and that they aren’t reported, or that these reports are not acted on by the authorities, is part of the problem.
Yes Engela it does make sense IF you have done your homework correctly, which H4M has always done and will hopefully continue to do in spite of people such as yourself. The point is that, through this, H4M has been able to make contact with the “junkie” and has been able to give them important information. Somehow you choose to ignore that there are also important booklets on health in the packs!!!!! How would you, with your Sunday school teacher attitude, get “junkies” to even talk to you, or listen to you, or be able to tell you that they need help?
So now why don’t you start a campaign to have all gay venues closed down? THAT might give you something to crow about – after all, people actually enjoy themselves at such venues and some of them even have sex in the toilets!
NO SHIT she took you up and wants to close gay bars now NO SHIT HAHAHAHA ONE CRAZY MAMA
@Christina Engela: if you’re so wise and experienced, and have done so much research, let’s hear your suggested “better and smarter ways” that would magically solve the world’s drug problems?
Dear Quirky, while I am not a medical researcher or clinical psychologist, I am a human rights activist. While I might not be a qualified expert in the field of treating or rehabilitating drug abusers (is anyone at H4M really?) I also know a thing or two about running and managing an NPO and CBO in the community. I do know what does and doesn’t sabotage the work activists have been putting into dispelling untrue perceptions of the gay community since the start of the fight for our civil rights and equality.
As a reasonably intelligent person, I can see the connection this advert makes between gay sex and drug addiction in the mind of the reader. As I’ve said before, most of the problem is the way this material is presented in the advertising. I also know that what this “play pack” and its associated information does is to give apparent affirmation to the act of drug abuse. Junkies don’t need to hide their habit anymore, or steal old light bulbs or break bottles anymore, they can just walk in to H4M and get a nice fresh free kit and walk out feeling like they aren’t doing something inherently bad for them (or breaking the law).
I compare it to stopping a little boy who is running with scissors because it is dangerous, taking away the scissors and putting a gun in his hands instead and then telling him it is much safer. I can’t really see the difference.
How would I solve the problem of drug abuse in the gay community? I would circulate material that actually WARNS people of the harmful effects of using drugs, including the undeniable link between crime and drugs. I would also encourage the community (via NGO’s and media) to assist the police in apprehending drug dealers and in keeping clubs and venues safe and clean. I might even consider introducing a points evaluation system coupled with a “mystery shopper” who would visit clubs anonymously and rate their safety and drug status and publicize this rating and report on a weekly or monthly basis. It seems a lot more productive to me than just enabling and even encouraging people to keep using drugs.
So I’m anti drugs. So sue me
Dear Engle: So in other words you are just an average person, maybe a wanna be celeb or activist or perhaps a house wife, who cares anyway, but what gives you the right to present yourself as having the right to speak on behalf of gay and lesbian people? Your GLAAD project in PE – who are your board of directors and are they aware of the nonsense you spew out?
I’m anti drugs too but that doesn’t make me go around talking about stuff I know nothing about with the attitude of an expert in morality.
So here we have The Perfect way to address drug abuse among gay men – stand by for an earth-shattering epiphany everyone:
“How would I solve the problem of drug abuse in the gay community? I would circulate material that actually WARNS people of the harmful effects of using drugs, including the undeniable link between crime and drugs. I would also encourage the community (via NGO’s and media) to assist the police in apprehending drug dealers and in keeping clubs and venues safe and clean. I might even consider introducing a points evaluation system coupled with a “mystery shopper” who would visit clubs anonymously and rate their safety and drug status and publicize this rating and report on a weekly or monthly basis. It seems a lot more productive to me than just enabling and even encouraging people to keep using drugs.”
Engela have you been popping too many hormone pills again? I don’t think you have any idea how innocently dumb you sound. So you’ll just warn people against drugs – do you honestly think people who use don’t already know more about drugs than you do?
The most disconcerting thing is that you seem to take yourself so seriously!!!!!
That dreaded word has finally surfaced : of course she claims to be an A C T I V I S T – wow! I am so damn irritated by lost souls who claim they are activists without a single valid credential to their name, and they seem to be popping out of the walls in the LGBTI world. Little people with big mouths!
You can’t CLAIM to be an activist darling, you EARN that status from gaining the respect of your peers and making a very real difference where it really counts. In my opinion helping the vulnerable instead of dismissing them as junkies is a noble and admirable thing to do.
Dear Ruben, Blommie and Osmond, (or is that JJ again?)
I am an activist with a proven track record. Therein lie my credentials. There is no other requirement to be an activist (sorry to highlight your obvious ignorance), other than to get off your asses and actually take a stand on issues and DO something..
SA GLAAD’s Board consists of myself, Kobus van Den Heever, Cobus Fourie and Sarah Ras, and if you must know, it isn’t based only in PE, it is national, with representation in Bloemfontein and Johanesburg as well. You sound almost jealous. What’s the matter? Have penis envy?
I’m not given to bragging, but feel free to Google my name and you will find plenty of activism related material, news articles by myself and SA GLAAD, campaigns etc with my name associated with it somewhere along the line.
Since we’re on that subject, big mouths, what have you ever done but sit on the side lines and watch other people do things for you and criticize?
I don’t do what I do for respect or for accolades, because to be honest, no matter how hard you fight for the rights of this community, you always have armchair critics too lazy or afraid to do the fighting and hard work themselves, taking cheap shots at you from behind.
That said, I don’t expect any better from the likes of you, so please go ahead and assassinate my character further, seeing as cheap shots and personal comments are all you can stoop to, not being able to play the ball rather than the player *wink*
My skin is thicker than anything you’ve got in your arsenal. You have a nice day now. 🙂
OK she just wants attention *wink-wink*
If that skin is so thick, why so quiet and why did Cobus have to come rescue you? Sad…….
Damn I’ve always liked a drag queen with balls! Besides that, telling people to Google you is – quite frankly – admitting that you’re a wannabe that no one has ever heard of. And I’m in Grahamstown not too far from your GLAAD headquarters. So next we’re going to hear about your political party with 58 265 members, right, and your backed by the Vatican?
WTF! Our newly self-de_clared Angel of Morality and self-appointed Activist Supreme Christina Engela, who is most famous for her Tupperware box, has taken it upon herself to clear the gay community and indeed the Whole World of Drugs! Gosh maybe she can rid the world of HIV and those ghastly homos who have AIDS as well? Why does she sound just so like George Bush in drag?
And solve the hassles in Mexico?
Nasty but so deserved
I just want to ask Engela questions, why does she think it so difficult for her to understand what Glenn De Swart is saying and explaining in his message? Engela I can understand him and the way he explains it is clear. Why not just admit that maybe you didn’t know about this harm reduction when you complained? Also if you try to close down all the gay clubs and bars people will just do the drugs at home so then what will you do? Destroy gay people’s houses? Don’t you think the police know where the drug dealers live, so how will you helping them make more arrests? If you hate the people who use drugs so much how will they listen to you? I use drugs sometimes and already I don’t trust you so why will I listen to you if you talk to me like I’m just a rubbish junkie? If you are Christian and so sure you are right about everything the Bible doesn’t say anywhere that Jesus didn’t do drugs, so how do you know that?
A great, necessary, brave and bold advert. Health4Men 10/10 points versus GLAAD 0/10 points. There is no place in current gay SA culture for Christina Engela’s reactionary elitist views.
Christina the writing is on the wall for all to see, HARM REDUCTION, read the response again. Or must car manufacturers remove seatbelts from cars as well? And should H4M stop distributing condoms?
just please ignore her the more attention she gets the crazier she becomes and makes an ass of herself and all of us
Agreed, this isn’t rocket science here so stop acting so dumb Engela (I refuse to believe you could possibly be so stupid, you know how to use a computer after all) so just admit you made a mistake and make a gracious bow into to darkness you emerged from and let us and H4M get on with our business OK?
@Blommie: your comment about “popping hormone pills” is both disgustingly misogynist, cisgenderist and transphobic.
Yes, I am a member of the board and count Christina as a colleague and friend.
What most people miss here is that this issu
None of those, just playing Engela’s own game of blaming and ridiculing everyone, she brought this on herself it seems? Miss Morality who wants to close gay clubs will need a very tough skin….
Hold on just one sec…… a valid criticism?
Says who and based on just what exactly? If you quote Christina Englea I WILL vomit so don’t even think of going there……..
Thay know nothing and criticize on nothing, please just ignore them please they only white rubbish trash who cause trouble for everybody, they don’t say anything for us or on behalf of us and yes she is intersex t bitch
Well as they say, you can judge a person by their friends – so this says a lot about you. And why the need to toss in two Latin words, are you so insecure about yourself that you want the world to know you studied law? Oooooh! So GLAAD is two people, one in PE and one in Bloemfontien, not exactly the centre of the gay universe but hey according to your democratic rights you do have the constitutional right to preach your left-wing views, and likewise we have the right to remind Tina to take her pills – its called freedom of speech. If she can’t take the heat maybe she get out of the kitchen before she burns herself. Yes – if you set yourself out there and make bizarre public statements you should expect a reaction.
Ah so a Cobus comes in banging his chest like a tarzan so save Engela from own ignorance! So let’s hear your good taste then Cobus… what part of harm reduction doesn’t make sense to you?
I am totally appalled!
I have followed this incredibly stupid debate since Tuesday from the UK (may partner is in SA so keep an eye here), I read the outrageous compliant lodged by a Donovan which was picked up by Christina Engel of GLAAD SA. Ms Engela has made several outrageous statements – shocking statements – some of which appear to indicate a somewhat impaired level of cognitive functioning. A subtle way of say she appears retarded. Then, when someone makes a statement that she objects to, some Latin-quoting toffee steps in suddenly assuming the moral high ground and accuses all and sundry of being prejudiced against the seemingly innocuous Ms Engela. What a pathetic situation!
The real issue is most certainly not the good Ms Engela’s virtue nor her reputation for intellectual discourse. This she evidently self-destructed when she lodged her bizarre complaint against a credible and internationally reputable organisation, H4M and their front person, Glenn de Swardt.
My understanding, albeit limited, is that in SA an ‘organisation’ is able to sue another entity – in this instance GLAAD – and obviously the good Ms Engela for libel based on her repeated public claims that H4M is promoting an illegal activity. That is certainly what I would do and quite personally the community she claims so valiantly and self-riotously to protect would be best suited with and her ilk put away.
@Cobus Fourie: Are you aware of all the bizarre statements that have been made by Engela against the LGBTI community, H4M and their director since Tuesday?
Or do you want this in Latin?
Y A W N !
Why is this even an issue, harm reduction is a valid strategy recognised by the WHO so where’s the controversy?
Who cares a fig what some drag queen thinks about it if there is valid science to back it up?
I agree with de Swardt. There is a huge problem with drugs in our (gay) community, especially amongst the younger generation. I see it every day. At this moment I feel completely disconnected to what the gay community has become. K
The fact is that the gay community, particularly the Cape Town club scene where this newspaper is distributed, is full of substance abuse. We have all seen it, and pretending that its not the case is not going to help. At least health for men has taken some initiative to stop the spread of STIs. To say that this campaign paints the gay community as a bunch of druggies to the broader community is narrow minded as it was an ad in a gay newspaper distributed in gay venues. H4Ms rational behind their campaign is entirely rational and acceptable.
Bravo to Health4Men – well done guys and forget the reactionary, ultra-conservative views coming from the Engela Nunnery
Agree Storm, these people is bloody idiots and hypocrits who know nothing about us NOT H4M the others like the doos Engela
De Swart should be stoned in public and whipped to within an inch of his life for reaching out to filthy drug users, people who have AIDS and other degenerates and perverts who dare to call themselves real homosexuals, he sullies the reputation of us REAL pure-bred homosexuals who are naturally Superior Beings. He should be banished to some distant planet still populated by common humans
@Christina Engela and @Cobus Fourie: Please help me out with this one.
Many people, especially the Church, spread the horrible attitude that being gay or lesbian and also being a Christian is not possible, that you just cannot be both. I consider myself Christian and I think I lead a Christian life and I am also gay. Many others also grapple with this conflict and issue, and I just HATE when the community looks down on gays and lesbians for not being Christians.
Then I see that Engela, the so-called upholder of gay and lesbian’s morality, promotes herself as a pagan and is openly doing research on Satanism!!!!!!!!! SURELY this feeds the public perception that gays and lesbians are all pagans or just cannot be gay AND Christian?
I think you are doing us more harm than you accuse H4M of doing, they advertised about a real problem in a local gay newspaper, NOT a straight newspaper. But Englea is promoting her Satanism and Paganism very openly on the Internet, even on Facebook, where straight Christians will see it, so she is feeding their prejudices against us.
I think this a PR disaster of note for all LGBTI people in SA and does us lots of harm! If she insists on doing this, maybe she could be a little discreet?
What would young people who look up to this beacon of gay morality think, when they look for a role model, and they see a Pagan Satantist trying to tell other gay people and even a huge organisation how to behave?
For a so-called public activist (which Englea claims to be, I still think she is just a loud-mouth) to be so openly trannie AND Satanist does incredible harm, far more harm than any advert ever could hope to do. Especially to gays and lesbians who try to reconcile with the Christians, and especially to young people.
NO! NO! NO!
A Trannie tannie Satanist from PE and her friend the Latin-speaking Cardinal of Bloemfontien have become the leaders of GLAAD in SA and claim to be the moral monitors of the LGBTI community?
Well slap me silly, this must be a joke? Right? RIGHT?
So why is the only complainant Donovan Steyl so quiet now? What happened to his brave uppity moral crusade? Come on Donovan Steyl (or should it be Stale) you were a big mouth and started all this rubbish, be brave enough to say something here now? Or must you still hide under the name Steve? Groot bek maar sonder tande, net nog n precious moffie wat moet wakkerskrik
Hy’t verdink in sy poppers
Meeste sogenaamde ACTIVISTS is maar net active op hul Facebook profiles waar slegs n paar close vriende kan sien waste kak hulle aaanjaag, Chris Engle is een van dies, ek twyfel dat sy gou weer hier openlike sal post…. sy’t obviously nie die balls nie
Sorry ek’t bedoel dat Steyl nie weer gou hier sal post nie maar dit geld obviously ook vir Engla and die Bloenfonteise regter.
Die latynse Pous Cobus I van die Hass Plaas in BLOEMFONTEIN
LOL so step aside Pope Francis, no imposters allowed. Bloem is The Centre of The Universe
I’ve never heard of anyone called Christina Engel but I am a patient of Health4Men where I receive free consults and even free ARVs from the most wonderful doctor (gay) whom I am convinced saved my life. All I can say is that H4M is an incredible organisation who don’t just say it, they actually do it and they deliver. As for Glenn de Swardt, in his free time and totally voluntarily he founded a large shelter for gays and lesbians in Cape Town which has its own staff and about twenty people living there getting 3 meals every day for free. No joke, it is called the Pride Shelter Trust so look it up, it is the first LGBTI shelter in Africa. He is a very good man who manages a fantastic organisation, H4M, Dr Kevin and Dr Johan are incredible, every time I go there everyone is so friendly and I am shocked that Donovan Steyl and Christina Engela are trying to attack them in this way. It is ugly and uncalled for, H4M does so much for so many of us, yes us, gay men, and I admire and respect them even more for trying to help guys who do drugs. They are great people doing an incredible job and it makes me sad and also angry that some people try to attack them like this instead of appreciating what they do for us. Yes us, the so-called gay community.
To Chris Engela and Donovan Steyl, what part of harm reduction is so impossible for you to understand?
I must say I have always enjoyed the H4M ads for being sharp, sexy and provocative! OK this one is more sombre, probably due to the subject matter, but their explanation of the campaign (and btw it is absurd that they had to explain and justify it because of two people) makes absolute sense!
I like what they’re doing, I’ve always appreciated their direct manner and tone and yes the ad is appropriate and very necessary! So if it doesn’t speak to you personally it probably wasn’t meant for you or aimed at you so move on!
A previous quote from Christian Engela (scroll down to see it) reads: “,,,You sound almost jealous. What’s the matter? Have penis envy?” NowI may be stoned but this sounds like some serious shit coming from a transgender male-to-female who spent a fortune having her dick removed and replaced with a plastic fanny. Doesn’t she sounds kinda high on something?
So the point is does this crazy woman/person sound sane and stable enough to cast judgement over others who – let’s face it – seem to know what they’re doing and aren’t trying to have their dicks cut off?
I’m generally quite open-minded about such things but hey she does sound just a bit radical and just maybe a bit fucked?
No sh!te she’s fried man but you sound like that’s some heavy stuff you doing there too
NO this person does sound unstable and should best just shut up – she and GLAAD are an embarrassment so please just shut her up, anyone?
@Donovan Steyl and @Chris Engela, do you deny that there’s a serious problem of drug abuse among gay men in SA? Do you deny that gay men, sex and drugs go together, at least in Cape Town and Johannesburg? Do you have any data to support your answers?
RADICAL STUFF HERE!
Why did Mamba publish the stupid drag queen’s outrageous views in the first place and I don’t understand why H4M even bothered to respond? The Earth isn’t flat people so deal with it.
The mudslinging and name-calling below by LGBTIs against each other – when an intelligent debate on the matter could have very positive results, is precisely why this community is on the way of self-destruction – Joburg Pride being a case in point and others leaving organisations and so on. It is also why I don’t want anything to do with this community and will stay clear of as many ‘events’, ’causes’ and (well-paid, fat cat) NGOs which is part of or support this community as possible.
Well EXCUSE ME @AntiLGBTI, just maybe you shoud pull that Protea from your self-righteous ass and get with the programme! There are some LGBTI experts – NOT the loud activists – who earned you your rights for gay freedom that you have today, and the experts and specialists in gay sexual health and HIV and Aids who are keeping sum of us alive, who studied for long and who work hard. So BIG DEAL Jhb Pride has been eaten by the Lion Lesbians but who would miss you anyway or even notice that you fell away? So BITCH if you have issues with an NGO or some fat-cat SAY SO, NAME AND SHAME the punks and I will hate them too but otherwise for f*cksakes stop with the conspiracy crap OK? You know dipshit! And yes MOTHAF*CKIN VATICAN SQUARES listen up because gay people DO DO DO DO DO DO chems! OK? OK?!? And that Satanic Pagan Witch Bitch TRANS IDIOT ANGEL OF BLOEMFONTEIN MUST FRY IN HIS OWN FAT!
1.This was all started by just one guy in CT called Donovan
2. Christinais a no-harm innocent trans from Port Elizabeth who sadly supported Donovan, and only because a) she wants to be an activist b) she lives in PE and c) she thought this was her chance to world fame
3) her chubby tjommie from Bloem jumped in to protect her in Latin
4) some nasties wrote nasties against the trannie and her fiend
5) the trannie advertised she was into Pagan Satanism
6) all hell broke loose
7) the POPE himself thought the Trannie Pagan Satanist was the devil
8) the Trannie shut up and went away
9) everyone slept well and just carried on like before it ever happened
Sounds like a discussion in a psychiatric ward!