Hornet is a leader in HIV prevention messaging amongst social networks for gay and bisexual men

This week, the global social network for gay and bisexual men, Hornet, issued a statement that it was one of the first, six years ago, to introduce the promotion of HIV testing amongst its users - "Know Your Status". Since this time, there have been 50 million interactions to this function.

This was their answer to the unfolding PR campaign of the competing application Grindr, which the other day in The New York Times said that they were the first to introduce this function. The New York Times responded and gave an explanation yesterday that the “earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to services provided by the gay dating app Hornet. The app has offered HIV testing reminders to its users since 2012".

As Hornet clarifies, back in October 2011 it was the first application to introduce the "Know Your Status" (KYS) function, prompting users to volunteer to join the campaign and announce their recent testing in their profile.

How does this function work? The user reveals his status in his profile and the date of the last test. After six months, the user is reminded of the need to update their status by having a new test, or taking care of themselves (therapy, healthy choices), if the user had an HIV+ status.

In 2014, Hornet updated the KYS feature thereby enabling users to easily find nearby testing centers in the US, the Philippines, Thailand and Brazil.

The KYS function goes beyond the routine prevention of HIV and helps HIV-positive men actively pursue their health and promotes anti-discrimination within the community in relation to HIV status.

25 million users around the world in 27 languages use Hornet and its "Know Your Status" (KYS) function. Hornet has always acknowledged the importance of reducing stigma in the community towards HIV, as well as the need for HIV testing, treatment and prevention. The global gay social network Hornet remains the leader in these issues and continues to address health issues among gay and bisexuals men.