Queer as F**K season six

A new series of the unique and innovative online gay soap opera Queer as F**K begins this week.

Launched in 2010 and airing on Facebook and Youtube, Queer as F**K follows the lives of six ordinary gay men in Melbourne. Blending comedy, drama and health promotion the series features guest stars Judith Lucy, Denise Scott and Adam Richard.

Season six continues to focus on existing important storylines such as sero-discordant relationships and explores important issues including internalised homophobia, sexual harassment, drug and alcohol use and coming out.

Colin Batrouney, Health Promotion Manager at the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre and director of the series said it was “unknown territory” when the series began but was pleased the audience has continued to grow.

“[I’m pleased] that they continually comment on the episodes and appear to be across a wide range of sexual health content evidenced by their online answers to various sexual health questions we regularly put to them,” Batrouney said.

The Burnet Institute’s Dr Mark Stoove, Head of HIV/STI Group, who was involved in the original planning of the series said, “Looking at the growth in the number of fans of and the frequency with which they engage with the project, Queer as F**k represents one of the most successful online social media sexual health promotion initiatives anywhere in the world.

“In an era of diversifying media preferences, one of the key factors to expanding the reach of HIV and STI prevention messages is the use of multiple communication channels. Queer as F**k plays an important part here. When you add in the capacity for active engagement between fans about the health promotion messages embedded in the stories, Queer as F**K offers a potentially powerful approach that static forms of media can’t match.”

Series six launches today, June 6, with a new episode posted every week for the next 14 weeks and can be viewed at facebook.com/QAFxxk

Pictured: Guest star Judith Lucy with regulars Aaron (Gary Abrahams) and Davo (Mark Tregonning) from Queer as F**K now in its sixth season. Photo: Jason Asselin