PrEP Campaign Rejected by Instagram for Being “Political”
Instagram rejected Apicha Community Health Center‘s ad campaign centered around promoting awareness of PrEP on grounds that the ad campaign was “too political.”
Apicha Community Health Center in New York aims to “improve the health of our community and to increase access to comprehensive primary care, [and to] advocate for and provide a welcoming environment for underserved and vulnerable people, especially Asians and Pacific Islanders, the LGBT Community, and individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.”
According to an article by VICE, the ad campaign was rejected because the center “hadn’t been authorized to run ads about social issues, elections, or politics.”
The article also reports that their campaigns have been flagged by social media companies before. For example, Twitter initially rejected Apicha’s ad campaign, but then approved it after the organization appealed the decision. The majority of times, their content gets flagged due to the copy being “too sexual.” The organization also mentions that it’s hard to talk about sexual health without talking about sex.
Phillip Miner, Apicha’s director of grants and Ccmmunications, shared that Instagram “said the copy was the problem but were unable to tell us what part of the copy was too political.”
According to VICE, the annual number of new cases of HIV has stabilized since the year Truvada was approved for use as PrEP. Additionally, the number of new cases has dropped by 31 percent in New York City even when broken down by race.
However, the rate among Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) has remained the same. Apicha’s campaign is aimed at API men who have sex with men in order to decrease the rate of new cases. The PrEP campaign included artwork and interviews from queer API artists discussing stigma and representation.
It’s scary that PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medication that significantly reduces the rate of HIV transmission, is being labeled as political by social media. From the drug’s generic version hitting the market to film screenings, Apicha’s PrEP campaign exists in relationship to other organizations trying to reduce stigma and increase awareness for the drug.
The work is important and saves lives. You can donate to Apicha Community Health Center here.
