rip&roll - a safe sex campaign for gay men in Queensland | Queensland Association for Healthy Communities

Rip&Roll Returns for 3rd Year

Healthy Communities’ iconic and highly successful safe sex campaign for gay men is back for a third year.

Rip&Roll will once again comprise of outdoor advertising, this year featuring a group of three friends, along with more targeted adverts for LGBT media and venues.

The adverts promote a subtle safe sex message, in a fun and sex positive way.

In a first for the campaign, a series of ‘behind the scenes’ videos* have been created showing what went on in the casting and photography for the campaign, and why it means so much to so many gay men.

“Healthy Communities is proud to continue a 28 year tradition of promoting safe sex and condom use among gay men, our target population, based on peer education and a sex positive approach” said Paul R Martin, Executive Director.

“Campaigns that promote fear, guilt or blame only serve to turn gay men off safe sex messages, while campaigns that validate the lives of gay men and allow them to enjoy sex, safely, are the most effective.”

Evaluation of the 2011 campaign found that nearly 94 per cent of survey respondents recognised Rip&Roll as a condom reinforcement campaign, and nearly 95 per cent said condom reinforcement was very important to them.

Following a number of complaints about the campaign in 2011, the Advertising Standards Bureau ruled that:

“The Board is strongly in favour of the important health message this advertisement portrays and considered that whilst some members of the community would prefer not to see this issue advertised, the public health message overrides any social sensitivity.”

“The Board noted that the advertisement does not contain any nudity and considered that the image of the two men hugging was not sexualised and that the advertisement is very subtle in its handling of the issue of safe sex. The Board considered that the overall tone of the advertisement is clearly that of a medical issue and not of a sexual issue.”

“Last year’s campaign was seen by a lot of people, it was a big campaign. There was too much good that came of that campaign. You can’t listen to those small voices of opposition and go; well we shouldn’t do that again. You’ve got to come back with a stronger message, a more powerful message - that what we did last year was important and it’s still as important” says Michael James, Rip & Roll model 2011.

Outdoor advertising will appear in 35 bus shelters in inner-city Brisbane from 12 August and on billboards in Surfers Paradise, Townsville, Cairns, Capalaba and Albion. LGBT press and online advertising has already begun.

* For videos go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/qahc

Video 1: What is the rip&roll campaign?. Video 2: Queensland's LGBT community speaks out. Video 3: Why I took part in rip&roll, the models speak. Video 4: Behind the scenes of the sexy models shoot

Read Healthy Communities' report on the
2011 rip&roll campaign for the Australian
Federation of AIDS Councils
conference in October, 2011.

10 June - The Advertising Standards Bureau has dismissed all complaints against the Rip&Roll 'couple' advert.

Read the Case Report from the ASB

Media Release 1st June 2011

Healthy Communities Welcomes the Return of ‘Rip & Roll’ and Thanks Our Supporters

Healthy Communities welcomes the decision of Adshel to reinstate the ‘Rip & Roll’ campaign to bus shelters across Brisbane with immediate effect.

In a statement released today, Adshel CEO Steve McCarthy stated “It has now become clear that Adshel has been the target of a coordinated ACL campaign. This has led us to review our decision to remove the campaign and we will therefore reinstate the campaign with immediate effect.”

“We thank Adshel for coming to the correct decision and look forward to working with them in this and future sexual health campaigns” said Paul Martin, Healthy Communities Executive Director.

“We’d also like to thank the tens of thousands of supporters who lent their voice, mainly via Facebook and Twitter, to getting the adverts reinstated. Special appreciation must also go to Michael and his partner who appear in the advert and have been such great advocates for the gay community.”

“The response to the removal of the campaign shows that the overwhelming majority of Queenslanders support the need for sexual health promotion, support the gay community and reject stigma and discrimination.”

Complaints about the ‘Rip & Roll’ campaign are still to be assessed by the Advertising Standards Bureau in the coming week.

'Like' the Rip&Roll page

Read the Media Release from Adshel

Read Media Release from Goa Billboards

Read Media Release from Hon Teresa Gambaro: MP Says Stop The Hate!

Media Release: 31st May 2011

Adshel Gives in to Homophobic Pressure and Removes Gay Safe Sex Advertisements

Adshel, the company that provides advertising in bus shelters around Brisbane, has today given in to pressure from the Australian Christian Lobby and removed a safe sex campaign featuring a gay male couple.

Adshel, Goa Billboards (where the advert is also placed) and the Advertising Standards Bureau have received complaints from a clearly orchestrated campaign from a well organised minority to have the advertisements removed.

The advert has been released by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities* (‘Healthy Communities’) as part of our Queensland Government funded HIV prevention and sexual health promotion work with gay men.

The ‘Rip & Roll’ advert features a gay male couple (fully clothed) in an affectionate embrace holding an unopened condom packet. The campaign logo “Rip & Roll” is featured with an unbranded condom in its packet. It is accompanied with the strap-line ‘A safe sex message from Healthy Communities’ and provides our web address and 1800 line.

“We are deeply disappointed by the behaviour of Adshel in removing the advertisements, without even notifying us and without proper reason” said Paul Martin, Executive Director of Healthy Communities.

“The advert is in no way explicit or offensive to the average Queenslander. The complaints claim that depictions of gay people and discussion of sexual health are not appropriate for the general community. We reject these claims outright.”

“2010 saw the highest number of people diagnosed with HIV than at any time since testing began in the mid 1980s. 65% of these diagnoses are among gay men. Now, more than ever, it is important that we get the safe sex message out to Queenslanders, particularly gay men, wherever they may be.”

“The advertisement is quite conservative when compared with other public advertisements for a range of commercial products and previous sexual health campaigns by the Australian and Queensland Governments.”

“The Australian Christian Lobby has used homophobia dressed up as protecting children to have an important public education campaign removed. ACL’s Queensland Director Wendy Francis has previously been criticised and forced to apologise for sending out a homophobic tweet likening gay marriage to ‘legalising child abuse’. They are now trying have gay people erased from the public sphere.”