SYDNEY (AFP) - Safe sex advocates claimed a victory over the Australia Christian lobby Wednesday, when their HIV featuring campaign posters two men hugging were restored to bus stops after an intense backlash online.
Black and white posters where a man has his arm draped across the chest of his partner and is holding a condom, are part of the Queensland Association for the campaign "rip and roll" healthy communities, promote the use of condoms.
The ads were withdrawn by billboard Adshel company after a string of complaints, but later, the company reversed this decision, saying that he was unwittingly targeted by the Australian Christian Lobby.
"This has led us to reconsider our decision to withdraw the campaign and we will be restoring the campaign with immediate effect," Adshel CEO Steve McCarthy said in a statement.
Healthy communities Paul Martin Executive Director said that the Australians were generally supportive of gay rights, and that he was encouraged by the public reaction to the decision to remove the posters.
"Most people do not have a problem with homosexual persons," he said.
At the end of Wednesday, some 40,897 people had joined a Facebook page called "homophobia ?? does not here" created by one men featured in posters, and demonstrators had held a rally in the afternoon outside the Adshel Brisbane office.
Australian Christian Lobby Queensland Director Wendy Francis stated that she had complained personally ads because she objected to what she said, was the sexual nature of the posters.
"They show two young gay men in a sort of Act of foreplay," she said. "It is talking about a sexual act, and I do not think that it is appropriate for the general public."
But Queensland State Treasurer Andrew Fraser dismissed his comments.
"Check the calendar, this is the 2011," he said. "" "". "I think that we should call for what it is and it is homophobia base".
Healthy communities, said that more people have been diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in 2010 that at any time since the mid-1980s, and it was therefore important to discuss safe sex.
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