STOP AIDS Project (SAP) was a United States nonprofit organization which worked to prevent transmission of HIV among all gay,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, and trans men in San Francisco, California, through multicultural, community based organising. Founded by Larry Bye, Sam Puckett and Rob Eichberg in 1985 in response to rising deaths from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, it reached over 30,000 men in 2 years, with many starting to practice

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer se ...

. In 1987 it shut its doors in response to data showing that HIV transmission rates in San Francisco dropped to less than 1%. Between 1987 and 1990 the STOP AIDS Resource Center shared the experience to help sixteen other communities across the country establish their own HIV prevention programs, an idea sparked by the visit in 1986 of a group of New Zealanders trying to learn from the experience of SAP in San Francisco. In May 1990 the STOP AIDS Project re-opened its doors in San Francisco due to rising HIV transmission rates in the city. In 2011 the STOP AIDS Project merged with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Internationally recognized as a successful model of grassroots prevention and support, SAP brought diverse gay, bisexual, and trans men together to talk about the challenges and issues posed by

HIV and AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

through neighborhood outreach, for example on busy streets or outside bars and nightclubs; workshops, often held in the living rooms of residents; and community forums. Some programs were designed for specific groups of men, such as ''Q-Action'' for men under 25 or ''Our Love'' for men of color. Their work extended beyond education — helping change behavior, create personal commitment to safer sex, build community support for each individual with the vision that ''"HIV Transmission Can Be Prevented"''. SAP attracted public funding. In 1992 the CDC gave a grant which enabled the it to grow its staff. Public support was sometimes controversial as its material was often sexually explicit, which some found offensive. In 2002 the CDC conducted an audit of STOP AIDS Project, in response to allegations of misuse of federal funds and obscene content. They determined that the STOP AIDS Project was in compliance with Federal law and local guidelines and founded on evidence-based, sound prevention science. The records of SAP are held at Stanford University.Online Archives of Californi

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Mission

The

mission statement A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation ...

of the STOP AIDS Project evolved over its life. It started as: ''"The mission of the STOP AIDS Project is to prevent HIV Transmission among gay men in San Francisco."'' Later it was: ''"The mission of the STOP AIDS Project is to prevent HIV Transmission among all gay, bisexual and transgender men in San Francisco through collaborative and multicultural, community based organising."''

Sources

External links

Stop Aids Project
{{Authority control HIV/AIDS activism in the United States HIV/AIDS prevention organizations Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco Health campaigns Medical and health organizations based in California HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States