Nick Gruber, Jack Mackenroth Star In New HIV Awareness Ad From HIV Equal
Nick Gruber has made it crystal clear he's straight and doesn't like to touched by gays, but that doesn't mean the former Calvin Klein boy toy isn't into spreading awareness about HIV testing.
Gruber has joined celebs, politicians and activists in a new photo series for the social-media campaign HIV Equal:
Individuals are photographed with a unique “HIV=” logo, which strategically appears on their body. As a play on the word “status,” a unique caption will read ‘STATUS:_______,’ and every model picks a word that exemplifies one aspect of their personality. This alludes to the fact that who we are as people is much more important than an HIV status.
The campaign is the brainchild of Project Runway designer Jack Mackenroth and photographer Thomas Evan, who teamed up with World Health Clinicians to get the word out. Among those who have already participated are Broadway's Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) and Nick Adams (Priscilla), singer Ari Gold, drag queens Sherry Vine and Bianca Del Rio and porn mogul Michael Lucas.
“We launched the campaign with celebrities, politicians, artists and many recognizable faces in order to draw attention to our mission, but we plan to include everyone since HIV affects us all,” says Mackenroth who has been HIV positive for more than two decades.
Participants in the HIV Equal campaign are also given a confidential swab test by an onsite health professional who's available to provide information and counseling.
It's nice to see Gruber is doing something positive with his notoriety—shouting "do you know who I am" on Fire Island is so yesterday.
Check out more photos from the HIV Equal campaign below
Jack Mackenroth
Billy Porter
Congressman Jim Himes
Nick Adams
DJ Donna D'Cruz
Model-singer Eddy Barrena
Titania Steele
h/t: Queerty