In a steamy new campaign for MISTR, the nation’s largest provider of free online pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-term HIV care, model Sam Asghari exposes plenty of skin and toned muscles while sharing meaty nuggets of truth. A longtime LGBTQ ally and Britney Spears’s ex-husband, Asghari shows that HIV prevention is as important for straight men as it is for their gay peers.
“Part of masculinity is being comfortable with your sexuality, so I think the combination of both is what makes this campaign so great. We’re using it to raise awareness and save lives,” Asghari told Out magazine.
In one of the campaign’s videos, Asghari, dressed solely in a skimpy MISTR towel, steps into a sauna, where he is joined by various men, including influencers, other male models and RuPaul’s Drag Race pit crew member Bruno Alcantara. At the end of the clip, Asghari looks longingly into the camera, emphasizing MISTR’s main message about preventing HIV via PrEP and lowering the risk of certain sexually transmitted infections with doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP), both of which are available for free at MISTR.com.
DoxyPEP is a pill taken within 72 hours after sex. It can dramatically lower the risk for chlamydia and syphilis and more modestly lower the risk for gonorrhea. (For more on this, see “DoxyPEP Effectiveness Against Gonorrhea Is Declining” and “FDA Approves Two New Treatments for Gonorrhea.”)
PrEP is a course of antiretroviral medications taken regularly as either pills or injections to prevent HIV. To date, the Food and Drug Administration has approved four forms of PrEP: Truvada and Descovy are daily pills; Apretude is a shot given every two months; and Yeztugo is a twice-yearly injectable that is highly effective in women, gay men and gender-diverse populations. Due to insufficient evidence, Descovy is not yet indicated as PrEP for cisgender women and trans men. Generic (and much cheaper) versions of Truvada are available.
To learn more about PrEP, see the POZ Basics on HIV Prevention: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
From 2023 to 2024, AIDSVu.org found a 17% increase in PrEP use across the United States. Black people and Latinos had greater unmet needs for PrEP use than their white counterparts. Black people represented 38% and Latinos represented 32% of new HIV diagnoses but accounted for only 15% and 18% of PrEP users. Among all age groups, teenagers and young adults (ages 13 to 24) had the greatest unmet need for PrEP use.
Nearly one in five people on PrEP get their medication via MISTR, which enables people to skip trips to the doctor or pharmacy and bypass insurance companies. Between 2018 and 2025, more than half a million people, mostly young men, contacted the gay-owned and -operated provider about PrEP.
To read more about a recent study on MISTR, read “Prevention: TelePrEP” or “Seeking PrEP to Prevent HIV? More Folks Access It Free and Fast Thanks to Telehealth.”
In related news, earlier this year MISTR organized a PrEP and HIV advocacy event on Capitol Hill with several “Real Housewives” stars.
