International News

Canada: Fotonovela Reaches Out to Young Gay Immigrants

From U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

June 10, 2009

Monday marked the debut of a new graphic novel targeting HIV, hepatitis C, and STD prevention messages to Latino newcomers in Toronto's "gay village" around Church and Wellesley streets.

"Chicos Como Tu" ("Guys Like You") tells the stories of three young gay immigrant men. The plots are derived from stories Gerardo Betancourt, an outreach worker in the HIV/AIDS prevention program at the Center for Spanish-Speaking People (CSSP), and others have heard about loneliness, intimidation, and misinformation that affect these men.

Betancourt said the graphic novel, or fotonovela, was the ideal vehicle due to the format's popularity in Latin America. "People like it very much," he said at Monday's launch.

Available in print and online -- via guyslikeyou.ca -- the stories mix love and drama with medical information and counseling. Young, single men from socially restrictive countries are often overwhelmed by the newfound sexual freedom they encounter in Toronto and other cities. Betancourt calls this the "Wonderland effect."

Through the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange, agencies in Ottawa and Vancouver have received 6,000 copies. CSSP is already extending the fotonovela's print run.

Back to other news for June 2009

Adapted from:
Toronto Star
06.09.2009; Lesley Ciarula Taylor

This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.

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