Many people are aware that using a condom helps prevent people from acquiring a sexually transmitted infection. Of course there are many people who don’t know much about condoms, or understand their importance when having sex. I guess that’s why Austria based AIDS-Hilfe created this cartoon about cat sex.

After watching the video, I’m left feeling underwhelmed.  How is this supposed to promote condom use? Where are the statistics on sexually transmitted infections in the LGBT community? The video strikes me as a very naive way to promote safe sex. It’s like those 80s commercials that ended with the command “Don’t do drugs!” Like those commercials, this video doesn’t deign to tell people why they should listen. The video is very much like a parent telling a child to do something “just because”. That’s simply not enough if you’re trying to reach people and convince them to undertake a particular action. Especially one like having safe sex.

Another problem I have with the video is that it makes use of a stereotype of gay people: that we’re sex obsessed fiends.  The stand-ins for gay men in this video are two cats who are cruising a park looking for sex.  For far too long, this stereotype of gay people has been used to punch down against us and deny us our rights. In the eyes of bigots, we gay people just want to be rid of our responsibilities, and live a lecherous life of debauchery. While sex is a wonderful part of the lives of many gay people, it’s not all there is.  Gay people lead fulfilling lives with successes and pitfalls just like heterosexual people. I’d rather the creators have shown gay people as being complex individuals rather than portray us using a harmful stereotype (or at the very least, if they wanted to go the cruising for sex route, they could have followed the two cats around through their daily activities leading up to their search for booty).