This hilarious video pits HIV stigma and PrEP prevention head to head in WWF-style smackdown
A hilarious video which pits PrEP and prevention methods against HIV and stigma in a wrestling-style smackdown has been created to promote the HIV prevention drug PrEP.
Thrive Alabama, an organisation working for HIV awareness in the state created the video which features everything you could ever want in a wrestling smackdown.
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From macho stances to an all-American commentary the spoof video embodies the four elements of HIV, stigma, PrEP and prevention into the perfect wrestling characters.
“This should be a good match up. HIV and Stigma have really been putting the smack down on. But the new kid on the block PrEP is really ready to help prevention deliver the beat down,” the commentators say.
They two teams are then introduced by the commentators with “the gruesome twosome”, HIV and stigma up first.
“HIV has been ruining careers in the last 30 years since he reared his ugly head in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
“Stigma has been in lockstep with HIV the entire way.
“Once HIV locks up his opponent, stigma is ready to swoop in and rob all hope and compassion,” they say.
They go on to introduce PrEP and prevention who “shine a light on these two nemeses”.
“Prevention pushes back on HIV through education, testing and condoms. It’s only been recently that prevention teamed up with PrEP that prevents HIV taking hold of the body.
“With PrEP and prevention in the ring, HIV and stigma don’t stand a chance.”
Director of development Mark Moore and communications specialist Jay Hixon were behind the video for Thrive.
Moore explained that they created it to speak to a sub-culture of men who have sex with men who “do not identify as gay or just don’t do labels,” Moore explained.
“We wanted to do something to stand out from the pack.
“There have been sexy PrEP videos, which we loved, but that’s not what we could do in Huntsville, Alabama.
“I knew I wanted to talk about stigma. If stigma is a fight, who’s fighting it? So I talked to Jay Hixon about it, and he went into his office and shut the door. This is what he came up with,” Moore added.
Hixon explained that when he was growing up everything was about WWF wrestling and he wanted to return to the idea.
“In the south when I was growing up, it was all about Hulk Hogan and WWF wrestlers. I wanted to harken back to that. And it was just plain funny to think of it as a prime time fight,” he said.
