This World AIDS Day (1 Dec) the National AIDS Trust, Attitude Magazine and LGBT club night, Sink The Pink will be holding a pop-up Kissing Booth in Soho Square as part of the Rethink HIV campaign.

The booth is a response to NAT research which shows 16% of people wrongly think you can get HIV from kissing, up from 4% ten years ago.

People are invited down to get a kiss in booth with one of Sink The Pink drag performers or Red Hot model Alex Mountain who recently starred in the exhibition by Thomas Knights.

Deborah Gold, chief executive, NAT (National AIDS Trust) said: “The booth is going to be great fun but it also highlights an important message. That too many people in this country believe myths and scaremongering about HIV. This leads to stigma against people living with HIV and increases the number of people getting the disease. Its time it ends.”

Matthew Todd, Attitude Magazine Editor, said: “The numbers of people who don’t know the basic facts about HIV and how it is transmitted is completely shocking and should be cause for the government to bring in mandatory sex and relationships education in schools. The kissing booth is a fun way to make a really important point – that HIV is still here and more needs to be done to educate people about it.”

The pop-up booth is just one way the National AIDS Trust will be spreading its campaign message ‘Think Positive: Rethink HIV’ this World AIDS Day, challenging myths and stereotypes about HIV. More information can be found at www.worldaidsday.org.

Deborah Gold, continues: “Come down to Soho Square. Get educated, be part of something important and, as a bonus, get a smooch off a beautiful person.”