HIV infections drop around the world but on the rise in the Philippines. Bed night club, Hornet a 600,000 person social network, and Love Yourself Porject non-profit team up to change HIV tactics.
(prHWY.com) March 25, 2013 - San Francisco, CA -- Manila, Philippines, March 25, 2013 -- Cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections continue to drop around the world, but the Philippines is among nine countries where HIV cases are on the rise .
HIV at the Workplace: Protecting Yourself, based on International Labor Organization's Recommendation Concerning HIV and AIDS, is a UN effort to encourage employers to educate their employees and provide on sight resources and testing. Inspired by this idea to reach people where they are, Bed Manila, a gay bar & club has teamed up with Hornet - Gay Social Network,
www.gethornet.com and non-profit Love Yourself Project
www.loveyourself.ph/ which provides HIV testing, awareness, and advocates for equality regardless of HIV status.
Jay Santos, an international DJ & gay celebrity, living in Manila, says "If people are ignoring HIV education we need to change the tactics; change the message and make education accessible which means finding smart partners."
Hornet is the world's fastest growing Gay Social Network. Hornet sees Bed as an ideal partner for anyone trying to target gay audiences in Manila. Bed Manila, a 3 storey, 600 sq meter, modernized danced club at the epicenter of gay life in Philippines and brings in large audiences. The club crowd is often seen as trend setters and the club is full of amenities, a sky deck, dance floor, and lounges. UNFPA/UNAIDS considers outreach through clubs an HIV Prevent Best Practice.
Hornet is the first to introduce the "Know your Status" KYS campaign to mobile social networks for gay people. Men with Hornet installed on their phone, get a special annotation for their profile, signifying they care about this issue, include their HIV status and test date. Once a test comes up for renewal, Hornet reminds that community to get tested again every six months.
In separate reports, Health Assistant Secretary Dr. Eric Tayag, indicated that of the estimated population living with HIV over half do not know their status.
March 23,2013 Saturday 10pm at Bed a large party is the launch of a joint campaign using mobile smart phones to reach audiences. Hornet uses sophisticated geo-specific targeting with powerful precision. Within seconds, Hornet can send call to actions to mobilize community members for HIV education and to tell them where their closest test center is located.
Christof Wittig, co-founder, says "Hornet, is proving that the LGBT social network and dating space is broad, and that building an application focused on health and security is how you win record user support, which is why we hit 600,000 users yesterday." With geo-specific technology Hornet can send a message in seconds to all gay members of the community.
Sean Howell, Chair of the Hornet Foundation, sees partners LoveYourself as ideal because they focus on HIV prevention that doesn't increase stigma. Stigma is one of the largest roadblocks to winning the fight on HIV. Heterosexual allies are also important in building equality and winning the fight on HIV.
Bed Bar and Club
www.bed.com.ph
Maria Orosa St. corner Julio Nakpil St., Malate, Metro Manila
About Hornet Networks:
Hornet Networks is gay owned, developer and distributor of the Hornet smartphone Application--a location-based mobile dating and social network that that lets you meet new friends based on criteria you set including geography, share photos quickly by sharing preloaded galleries, and keep notes about people you chat with. Founders and backers include the ranks of LGBT at Microsoft, Linkedin, and Silicon Valley venture technologists.
http://www.gethornet.com. Hornet App is available on your iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) and Android in free versions. To get it from the Apple App Store, go here
www.bit.ly/askhrnt and in Google Play visit
www.bit.ly/hornetandroid
Contact:
Sean Howell
Hornet Networks Ltd
883, Indiana St
San Francisco, CA 94107
+1 4153596469
Press@gethornet.com
http://www.gethornet.com
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