www.casserosalute.it It has been online since December 1st 2008, The first website in Italy aimed at supporting HIV-positive homosexuals and promoting safer sex among the gay population..
The initiative is by Il Cassero, the Arcigay Committee of Bologna, a frontline organization fighting the spread of HIV. Its work is widely recognized by other organizations working on the same front—primarily LILA and IDA—and by the Emilia-Romagna health authorities, with whom it has developed important collaborations over the years.
Why a website?
""Based on our experience The Internet is the first tool that a person who has just discovered that they are HIV positive, or who even just suspects it, turns to.. Panic and loneliness are the dominant emotions,” explains Sandro Mattioli, health manager at Arcigay Il Cassero and creator of the project.
A few months ago we started a mailing list (http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_sieropositivi) without any form of sponsorship in less than two months we have recorded more than three hundred members, this has underlined the urgency of a more effective means and above all one more targeted to the needs of homosexual people".
Why a site exclusively for gays?
""The first data from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità for 2007 answer the question (see: http://www.ministerosalute.it/resources/static/primopiano/503/DATI_AIDS_ISS.pdf).
AIDS cases among gay men increased from 15% in 1997 to 22% in 2007 and even today the majority of HIV-positive homosexuals are unaware of their status until the advent of AIDS itself. Still too few people are tested and there are still too many unknown serum carriers.. Very little information is explicitly targeted at this target. During the last World AIDS Conference in Mexico City, the UN Secretary General, drawing on several studies, emphasized that where homosexuality is heavily criminalized, HIV thrives unhindered. This site is the first of its kind in Italy; there are several examples elsewhere in Europe.
The site, with its linear graphics and reassuring iconography, is built on three main sections that will be expanded over time:
– HIV+
– SEX AND HEALTH
– BLOG
The first section of the site, HIV+, aims above all to provide concrete answers to the question 'What now?' of those who discover they are HIV-positive. Who to contact, the stages of treatment, testimonials, as well as recommended diet and relaxation techniques, are some of the subsections. All this is presented in clear and direct language, aimed at providing an initial support network to accompany the user as they navigate a second life, that of being HIV-positive. The first steps are illustrated, while at the same time emphasizing the comprehensive nature of a condition that, despite its many commitments, relationships, work, and dignity, are emphasized.
The manager illustrates the project as follows: "With this site, whose guidelines are simplicity and interactivity, we aim to give immediate answers through direct and as little 'medicalized' language as possible‘. Indeed, there is a wealth of more or less precise information available online, most of which, however, focuses solely on the health aspect of prevention, often using highly technical language. Very little is dedicated to those who are already HIV-positive.
Furthermore, the interactivity of the site, built on ability to leave comments/questions and on the use of the 'BLOG'‘, aims not only to gather feedback but to create a real community. This way, we want to address the marginalization that finding out about HIV status often unfairly entails. Thanks also to the contributions that will come directly from users, we aim to further integrate and develop the site in the coming months.
The 'SEX AND HEALTH' section‘, also entirely male and characterized by direct language, aims to address the issues of sex and sexual health with naturalness and frankness.
""The section on sex and sexual health was created to try to combine the two themes in the belief that there is pleasure in prevention too "—explains Sandro Mattioli—You can have fun while still focusing on prevention. Having safer and more satisfying sex isn't complicated; you just need to follow a few simple rules. We'd like to try to strip the condom of its stigma of being a 'medical surgical device' by transforming it into an instrument of pleasure. Talking about sexuality frankly, avoiding unnecessary taboos and false moralisms, is the only true tool at our disposal.".
