COMMUNITY GROUPS

CATF begins new gay men's sex and love discussion

by Tom Rappa

Columbus-The Columbus AIDS Task Force will be beginning a new series of discussion groups for gay men about sex. The "Millennium Project" will be a program about sex, love, intimacy, relationships and health for gay men striving to maintain a happy healthy gay life as the new millennium approaches.

This new project is sponsored by the Task Force's education department, and was developed by gay men, community leaders and education specialists. It is funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Health.

The Millennium Project evolved out of another CATF program, “Let's Talk About Sex."

In the Let's Talk About Sex program sessions covered partner negotiations skills, communication skills and personal decision making.

"What we found out from the folks who had gone through the program is they wanted to spend more time on each of those things," said CATF's David Andrist.

This project will be the only program of its kind in Central Ohio and will include "drop-in" groups, workshops and small group sessions all tailored to meet the needs of gay men.

The project breaks down into three sections, with each section having two to three sessions. The fourth section consists of ongoing monthly sessions.

The first, "On the Level," will consist of two sessions focusing on gay men and their health.

The second, "For My Own Protection," will feature three sessions focusing on personal vulnerability, risk avoidance and behavior change intentions. During these sessions the participants will be asked to create a personal risk hierarchy.

In this hierarchy, an individual decides what kinds of risks they are comfortable taking, and where they would draw the line of behavior they consider too risky. "We talk about the fact that risk behavior can be different for every individual. It's not our intent to tell people what they can and cannot do," said Andrist.

Third, "Talking the Talk" will consist of three sessions on communication skills, partner negotiation skills, and sexual

assertiveness.

"Keeping It Up," will round out the program with its monthly sessions, as a means of maintenance for individuals who have completed the rest of the program. The topics in these monthly meetings will be generated by the group's participants.

"Many of the people who have gone through the Let's Talk About Sex program over the last few years have indicated that they need to come back just to get a refresher to feel assured that other gay men are dealing with the issues they are dealing with," said Andrist.

"I don't like to use the term support group," added Andrist. "This would be more along the lines of an empowerment group."

The workshops are scheduled to begin in July at a variety of times to meet the needs of the gay community. For more information and to get involved call David Andrist or Earlington Motley at 614-488-2437.

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