The Health Minister has calling for an urgent review of a taxpayer-funded health website for gay men that has become a community for people to discuss sexual fantasies.
Emen8 was launched in May 2016 and is described as ‘Australia’s biggest and boldest online sexual health and wellbeing initiative for gay men, bisexual men and men who have sex with men’.
The website has provided a safe space for gay and bisexual men to discuss a range of private subjects involving their health.
But it also contains conversations about ‘after school action’ and discussions about sex toys.
Health Minister Greg Hunt wants a review of the page because of articles he deems ‘utterly inappropriate’, The Australian reported.
Emen8 was launched in 2016 and is described as ‘Australia’s biggest and boldest online sexual health and wellbeing initiative for gay men, bisexual men and men who have sex with men’
The website has provided a safe space for gay and bisexual men to discuss a range of taboo and private subjects involving their health
Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) wants a review of the page because of articles he deems ‘utterly inappropriate’
‘Any funding provided by the Australian government for health education should be used for health education and must be in appropriate context,’ the spokesman for Mr Hunt said.
‘This grant was provided in 2016 for health education. Minister Hunt was not aware of the website and has now ordered an urgent review.’
Emen8 was an initiative of the Communicable Disease Prevent and Service Improvements Grants Fund approved under then-Health Minister Sussan Ley.
It was funded by the AIDS Council of NSW and the Victorian AIDS Council as a part of a $1.6 million package.
The site has several different sections including ‘Sex and Dating’ and ‘Travel and Party’.
The ‘Sex and Dating’ section is further broken up into categories, including NSFW (Not Safe For Work) which includes more explicit articles.
Emen8 was an initiative of the Communicable Disease Prevent and Service Improvements Grants Fund approved under then-Health Minister Sussan Ley
‘Any funding provided by the Australian government for health education should be used for health education and must be in appropriate context,’ a spokesman for Mr Hunt said
Articles range from the discussion of safe sex and STIs to insights in working in the male sex industry.
‘Anti-biotic resistant Super Gonorrhea. How worried should we be? Here are the facts’ is one such article providing a safe and informative discussion for the gay community.
Other articles have strayed further outside the intended health forum, including ‘How to pick up at the gym’ and ‘Who’s the perfect daddy for you?’.
ACON chief executive Nicolas Parkhill defended the site saying the Health Minister’s concerns were due to a lack of understanding of the gay culture.
‘In order to effectively target this at-risk population group, the tone and voice of some articles on the site need to reflect their culture, interests and behaviours; the language resonates,’ Mr Parkhill said.
‘The content integrates sexual health messages that are familiar to a range of gay men.’