Valley Club Combat’s HIV

By Anthony L. Contreras

One in every 5 people that have HIV in Los Angeles County doesn’t know they have it as according to The Center for Disease Control (CDC).

And, with other studies suggesting that one out of every four Latino gay men in US urban cities like Los Angeles are infected with HIV, it’s clear that HIV/AIDS is, and should be, a major concern within the Latin community.
We have all been bombarded with the message that abstinence is the only 100 percent method of not contracting HIV or any other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but many are unwilling to sacrifice that basic human desire, nor should they.  We are sexual beings and it is time that both sex and our sexuality has the veil of fear lifted and replaced with knowledge of HIV and educated thinking.

The question remains, what can be done? How can we combat this disease particularly in the young gay Latino community and still enjoy the pleasures of sex?

The solution is simple, the Popular Opinion Leader Program or POL, for short. POL is a community-based intervention based out of the Tarzana Treatment Centers located in Reseda.

POL works on the diffusion of innovation theory. It states that, like fashion trends, unwritten social beliefs and behaviors or “social norms” are established and maintained by popular people within their social networks.

For example, Antonio has a group of 5 friends. He is well liked and respected among them. He cuts his hair in a faux hawk. Because Antonio is viewed as fashionable, one by one, each of his 5 friends begin to cut their hair into a faux hawk. Soon, strangers see this new style, like it and adopt it. Thus, a new social norm is established.

The POL program targets those popular and influential people (those with charm, good sense of humor and outgoing personality) and encourages them to have conversations with their friends about engaging in healthy sexual behaviors. That is why the POL motto is, “Friends Influencing Friends!”

“People have an easier time understanding and listening about sex, risky behavior and sexually transmitted infections from their popular friends than from strangers,” said Gina Larco, Supervisor for the POL program.

According to Larco, the difference between POL and any other HIV intervention is that POL is interactive with club goers.

Many people are out at a club to drink, dance and socialize. The last thing they want is to be educated about HIV or asked for, “a moment of their time.” Most HIV programs with tables set up at clubs are met with people dodging their looks and avoiding both their clipboard and their questions.

Instead, POL teams up with a club and hosts fun and social events.  Currently POL is working with Latin club promoter, Gipsy, at Club Coco Bongo in Reseda, the hottest Gay Latin Club in the valley.

Gipsy gained media attention last year with her, “Academy of Transvestites,” a three month long drag queen show similar to American Idol.

Each Thursday night, club goers were handed a ticket at the club entrance. After all the performances, the audience handed their ticket to the drag queen they believed performed the best. The tickets were then counted in front of the audience with the one receiving the least amount of tickets being eliminated from the contest.

Week after week, the audience eliminated one performer until the night of the Grand Finale where "ALEXES" was crowned winner of “LA ACADEMIA DE TRAVESTIS.”

Working alongside Gipsy and Club Coco Bongo, POL has created a military themed night with weekly contests including Best Dressed, Best Dancer, Best Body, Best Chest, Best Makeup and Best Striptease beginning Thursday, March 6th and running through mid April.

Each week POL will crown 4 winners (gay, lesbian, straight male and straight female) per contest. Each of our weekly winners will then compete against each other in a final competition where we will crown Best POL.

If competing is outside your comfort zone, show up and participate in POL’s FREE Weekly Raffle. Or, take a FREE picture with one of our POL Army Boys as well as a few other FREE giveaways.  As always, stay and enjoy the sexy Go-Go Dancers and tons of FREE condoms and lube! 

Look for the POL Patrol outside bars and clubs in West Hollywood for FREE Admission fliers or simply print out a FREE Admission flier from www.myspace.com/sfvpol.

The POL program offers a means to combating HIV by putting a face on the disease.  The face is that of our Latino community of friends and family members whether they are gay, lesbian, bi, transgender or straight.

POL also offers the community the power to combat HIV by centering it on simple conversation, friends, laughter and music.

Said Larco, “We’re not asking for people to do anything they don’t already do. We all trust and talk to our friends. And, if you love and care about them, then influencing them to make healthy choices when it comes to sex is an easy decision to make.”

If you have a contest idea, want to find out more about POL or the contests and scheduled dates in March, visit the POL myspace page at www.myspace.com/sfvpol.