SiriusXM OutQ and Greater Than AIDS Empower Gay Community to "SpeakOUT"

Limited-run series of live, call-in shows takes in-depth look at AIDS in Gay America—from the bedroom to the doctor's office to the community to Capitol Hill

NEW YORK, March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SiriusXM OutQ, the nation's first and only 24/7 LGBT radio channel, and Greater Than AIDS, a national movement to respond to AIDS in America, announced today the launch of SpeakOUT: Real Talk about AIDS in Gay America, a limited-run series of live, call-in shows that will connect listeners across the country with medical experts, people living with HIV and notable members of the LGBT community to have an honest and challenging dialogue about the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the gay community as well as the country at large. 

The first installment of the series will be co-hosted by SiriusXM OutQ's Larry Flick and Frank Spinelli, M.D., Clinical Director of HIV Services at New York City's Cabrini Medical Center and author of The Advocate Guide to Gay Men's Health and Wellness and air live on Saturday, March 17 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. ET on SiriusXM OutQ channel 108. The live, call-in show will focus on "The Politics of Mating," tackling such issues as how to ask a partner to be tested, when your partner will not use condoms and how to disclose your status to a new partner.  It will also explore the effects GrindR and other popular social networking sites have on HIV/AIDS among gay men. The panel of guests includes Greater Than AIDS representatives Marteniz Brown and Larry Hammack—gay men who will share their personal experience with HIV/AIDS—and Dr. Mary Ann Chiasson, a professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, who is researching the relationship between the Internet and high-risk sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men.

Future SpeakOUT: Real Talk about AIDS in Gay America shows will explore the medical aspects of HIV/AIDS, from the latest advances in research to guidance on how to communicate with doctors and health care providers, as well as the status of various initiatives related to the condition on Capitol Hill.

"Although gay men have been at the center of the epidemic since its beginning—and today are the only risk group for which rates are on the rise—the issue has moved off the radar for many men," said Tina Hoff, Senior Vice President and Director, Health Communication & Media Partnerships, Kaiser Family Foundation, a founding partner of Greater Than AIDS.  "We are thrilled to be working with SiriusXM OutQ to leverage the power of voice in opening up the conversation about AIDS in America, and encouraging more men to 'SpeakOUT' about this important issue."

According to a 2011 national public opinion survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8 in 10 Americans say they heard little or nothing about HIV/AIDS in the last year and public concern about HIV/AIDS has fallen steadily over the years, including among those most heavily affected. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five (19%) gay and bisexual men in 21 major U.S. cities today are HIV-positive -- and nearly half (44%) of those who are infected don't know it.

For more information, visit www.siriusxm.com/greaterthanaids.

About SiriusXM Radio

SiriusXM Radio is America's satellite radio company.  SiriusXM broadcasts more than 135 satellite radio channels of commercial-free music, and premier sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and data services to over 21 million subscribers. SiriusXM offers an array of content from many of the biggest names in entertainment, as well as from professional sports leagues, major colleges, and national news and talk providers.

SiriusXM programming is available on more than 800 devices, including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks, boats and aircraft, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available at siriusxm.com, and on Apple, BlackBerry and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM has arrangements with every major automaker and its radio products are available for sale at shop.siriusxm.com as well as retail locations nationwide.

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About Greater Than AIDS

Greater Than AIDS is an unprecedented collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular among Black Americans and other disproportionately affected groups.  Through a national media campaign and targeted community outreach, Greater Than AIDS aims to increase knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and confront the stigma surrounding the disease. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation -- a leader in health policy and communications -- provides strategic direction and day-to-day management, as well as oversees the production of the media campaign.  The Black AIDS Institute -- a think tank exclusively focused on AIDS in Black America -- provides leadership and expert guidance and directs community engagement.  Greater Than AIDS is developed in support of Act Against AIDS, an effort by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to refocus attention on the domestic epidemic.  Additional, financial and substantive support is provided by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Ford Foundation and MAC AIDS Fund, among others.  http://www.greaterthan.org

SOURCE Greater Than AIDS