THE Grim Reaper AIDS campaign, which first hammered home the threat of HIV to middle Australia, had the regrettable consequence of demonising gay men, according to one of the people who approved the now iconic campaign.
Reflecting on the early years of the epidemic, Professor Ron Penny, recently retired head of Immunology at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, said the Grim Reaper campaign was pivotal in changing heterosexual behaviour.
However, it unintentionally demonised the gay community.
"I think that was unfortunate and we had never intended that to happen," he said.
The internationally recognised immunologist, whose career is inseparable from the Australian AIDS response, was on the government body which approved the release of the Grim Reaper campaign in 1987.
Created by Siimon Reynolds, the advertisement depicted a cowled, bowling ball-wielding Reaper felling husbands, wives and children in a bowling alley.
The ad was one of the most effective campaigns ever launched in Australia, Dr Penny said.
However, it struck an unfortunate blow to the gay community, which had already taken a lead in AIDS awareness and safe sex practices.
"The downside was that the Grim Reaper became identified with gay men rather than as the Reaper," Dr Penny said.
"That was what we had unintentionally produced, (the belief) by some that the Reaper was people with HIV infection, rather than the Reaper harvesting the dead."
However, Dr Penny said the impact in terms of "a wake-up call to Australia" was astounding.
"I think there's never been anything on television or any media that has ever matched it in terms of impact but no advertising can be without some downside and that was never intended," he said.
"But it at least made people aware and probably it did change sexual practices of heterosexuals." AAP
