There’s nothing like a little shock to the system to jolt us out of our complacency and back into the real world. That’s just what the new HIV prevention PSA by 26 year old filmmaker and blogger Eric Leven does. The PSA follows a young man getting tested for HIV after a night of not so safe sex. Eric wrote, produced and directed the clip as a way to spread the message that a careless night of unsafe sex is not worth the risk.
Eric Leven is one of a new generation of gay men using new media to agitate, educate and organize. He is, in the words of Joe Jervis, creator of the massively popular blog Joe. My. God.“one of the brightest stars of young gay activism in NYC.”
By day Eric works as a story producer for reality and documentary programs. On nights and weekends he blogs, writes and films with the goal of empowering gay men and creating a greater sense of community unity. He is creator of the blog Knuckle Crack.
I had the chance to ask Eric some questions about his work.
You can contact Eric for more information about his work at ericleven1@aol.com.
MC: In your blog posts and your HIV prevention PSA you show a real commitment to engaging politically and culturally in the LGBT community. What motivated you to get involved and what role do you see yourself playing?
EL: What motivated me to get involved were the first friends I made within the community. Many of my friends were older steroid hulks who were predominantly HIV+. They took me under their wing and became incredible friends and influences exposing me to many different elements of the gay life. By getting to know them and having their perspective bestowed upon me at the ages of 18, 19, 20, I in essence inherited the experiences and passions of their generation.
This inheritance of passions has stuck with me since and I’ve been running with it the best I can. HIV has been a huge influence over my life and I often find myself being the only one who is outspoken about it. What keeps my motivation is the blatant and apathetic rejection I get from many gay men that I’m beating a dead horse or trying to save a community disinterested in saving itself.
Read the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment