An openly gay Australian MP made headlines when he used Grindr as an untraditional adverstising opportunity when he ran for office in 2022 — and he’s doing it again with OnlyFans this year.

The Greens MP Stephen Bates won what was one of the tightest races in the 2022 federal election, thanks in part to using untraditional methods. Turning to Grindr for that race, Bates used many double entendres in his ads like “You always come first with the Greens”, “Spice up Canberra with a third” and put “Stephen Bates on top this election.”

And now he’s hoping to use that same strategy with OnlyFans, a subscription-based platform that is mostly known for its adult content. But Bates isn’t planning on posting any NSFW content. Instead, he’s pushing to make the HIV prevention drugs PrEP and PEP free for anyone without a prescription.

The antiretroviral drug PrEP is taken by people at high risk of HIV transmission (something OnlyFans creator Lily Phillips took leading up to her most recent sex-stunt), and if used every day, the drug has an efficacy rate of 99% among gay and bisexual men.

“In a cost of living crisis, that’s just too much. You shouldn’t have to pay a fortune to be sexually responsible. Ending HIV is too important to fly under the radar,” Bates said. “I campaign on OnlyFans and Grindr because it gets attention. Sometimes you have to make a splash to make people pay attention to the things that matter.”

In his first video on OnlyFans, Bates discusses The Greens’ plan to make contraceptives free, invest in mental health care and appoint an LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner to “be a watchdog for the LGBTIQA+ community who still face discrimination at work, in education, in healthcare and in public life.”

Bates kept up his use of double entendres for the video, opening with: “Whoever said sex and politics doesn’t mix hasn’t heard what I’ve got for you. Because I’ve got a HUGE policy announcement for you.” Bates made sure to stand up strategically for a close up as he spoke. He shared details of exactly how to make PrEp and PEP free, as well other points to his campaign in the video.

“Whipping up hate against LGBTIQA+ people and importing pointless culture wars that have real and damaging consequences. This election, the stakes have never been higher. There’s a real potential for a hung parliament.”

A few commenters picked up on the jokes right away, commenting: “HUNG PARLIAMENT??” while one person wrote: “Master Bates for Brisbane”. A third added: “Oh, we will be Bating for Brisbane, let’s be clear on that!”

This OnlyFans account is totally free to any of the over 28 million Australian users who visit the platform each month. This new strategy allows him to reach a different audience than traditional media, paid advertising, or social media currently allows. And if he’s successful, it’s likely others will go this strategy a shot in the future as well.

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