Getting Creative at Los Angeles Leather Pride Week

Pride season is here! Are you ready?

March 24th was the kick-off for Los Angeles Leather Pride Week. Faultline Bar hosted a beer bust to introduce the community to the contestants for the coveted titles associated with Leather Pride, celebrate community organizations and agencies like Tom of Finland Foundation, Satyrs Motorcycle Club, and Being Alive LA. Though largely a rowdy social event, the event is an opportunity to discuss the history and legacy in the LGBT, Leather, and HIV communities.

The amazing folks at Being Alive provided information about viral suppression and U=U along with freebies courtesy of ONE Condoms to enhance the discussion of sexual health tools.

Los Angeles Leather Pride Week closed on Sunday, March 31st with the Off Sunset Festival located in Silverlake—an all-day festival celebrating the Leather community, the community of Silverlake and Los Angeles, and the businesses/agencies that contribute to the lively world of Leather. The festival has music, entertainment, social booths, vendor booths, agency/organization booths, and HIV/STI testing.

 

The goal of outreach for Being Alive, at a festival such as this, is to provide upbeat and sex-positive education, information, and inspiration. Thanks to donations from ONE, Being Alive engaged visitors to the booth in conversation about HIV, STIs, Prevention strategies, PrEP, PEP, condoms and lube, and access to care for prevention and treatment.

 

Visitors often comment how the Being Alive team is knowledgeable and unflappable in their discussions. They address real-world situations and concerns rather than blanketed messaging of a one-size-fits-all style of prevention.

To complement that messaging, Being Alive was honored to have access to the myONE Perfect Fit measuring tools called FitKits. Not only were visitors to the booth more than happy to contemplate measuring their penises, but it was a unique opportunity to explore how condoms have evolved over the years—and how it might be time to revisit how condoms might fit into an individual’s sexual health framework.

 

Being Alive conducted five outreach events in March handing out almost 25,000 internal condoms and reached over 1200 individuals looking for guidance on PrEP/PEP access, finding a great condom or lube, U=U, and STI testing guidelines. 

Being Alive's goal is always to inspire rather than shame or instill fear — which we absolutely love here at ONE® HQ.