WASHINGTON — The District wants your mind in the gutter — but for a good reason.
A sex-laced ad campaign from the D.C. Department of Health is taking aim at those who are at risk for contracting HIV, and promoting the use of a pill called PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) to stop the spread of the virus.
In the ad, an alluring female voice asks: “Thinking about sex?” Video then shows a man rubbing his golf club, a woman slowly peels open a banana and a mustard bottle … well, erupts.
The entire ad is overflowing with sexual innuendo.
The ad, which has been running on local TV, has received a wave of reactions. Some consider it to be in poor taste. Others find it hilarious.
This tweet is from 12/1/17 but the DC news just picked up on it and people are all a flutter! Seriously, people, stop acting like prudes. https://t.co/bXPGgfWELQ
— Leigh Ann DePope (@LeighAnnDePope) January 11, 2018
❤️❤️ I dig it, don’t get why anyone would think this is on poor taste like this is not a reality. Can’t be conservative while trying to educate on sex! https://t.co/J3diGtiGU5
— Phumlani (@Phumlani_Kango) January 11, 2018
This commercial is in incredibly poor taste and you should be ashamed of yourselves for calling this a public health endeavor.
— Laura O’Neill (@ONeillLaura) December 6, 2017
D.C. Health said it’s just happy people are seeing it.
Washington has one of the highest HIV rates in the U.S. The numbers — almost 13,500 residents, or 2 percent of the D.C. population, are living with HIV — exceed the World Health Organization’s definition of 1 percent as a generalized epidemic.
Hence the campaign to spread awareness about PrEP, which D.C. Health says can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 90 percent. The daily pill is FDA-approved and is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The full ad is below.
