Local Faces, Real Stories
Local Faces, Real Stories is a new campaign from Sahir celebrating people from the Liverpool City Region, who use PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) as part of looking after their sexual health.
The campaign uses bold portrait artwork and real local voices to help more people understand PrEP and to challenge the idea that HIV prevention only applies to certain “types” of people.
Because PrEP can be for lots of people and HIV prevention should reflect that.
What is PrEP?
PrEP is medication that helps prevent HIV.
If you take it in the right way, it can reduce your chance of getting HIV through sex.
If you’ve heard of PrEP but don’t know where to start this campaign is designed to make it feel more visible, normal, and easy to explore.
Bold artwork by Liverpool artist Ben Youdan
At the heart of Local Faces, Real Stories are 15 striking portraits created by Liverpool-based visual artist Ben Youdan.
Ben’s work is bright, confident, and unapologetic capturing the personality and individuality of each person featured. His style blends collage, illustration, photography and print, exploring themes like identity, sexuality, confidence, and culture.
The aim is simple: make sexual health messaging feel human, creative, and relatable not clinical or judgemental.
“I was thrilled to be asked to create these images for Sahir and the oppurtunity to help promote Prep and getting tested was extremely important to me and I am proud to be a part of it. . Conceptually it aligns perfectly with personal and artistic philosophy as I aim to make images that celebrate individuality, diversity, identity as well as sexuality and it is so important to me to promote a message of sex positivity and show that we should all enjoy having sex responsibly.. Have a ball but get tested and take your prep.” – Ben Youdan
Real people, a mix of voices
Local Faces, Real Stories features a cross-section of people from across the Liverpool City Region.
You’ll see a range of identities, backgrounds, ages, and styles including people you might expect in a PrEP campaign, and people you might not. That contrast is intentional.
By showing unexpected faces side-by-side, the campaign challenges stereotypes and reinforces a simple message:
PrEP is about protecting your health not about how you look, who you love, or how you identify.
Where you’ll see the campaign
Local Faces, Real Stories will appear across the Liverpool City Region, in both print and digital formats, including:
- Community spaces and nightlife venues
- Clinics, GP surgeries, pharmacies, and testing sites
- Libraries, galleries, and other public spaces
- Social media and online channels
- Pop-ups and outreach materials
Some versions of the campaign will also appear in adult and sex-positive spaces, because sexual health information should be visible where it’s most relevant and because sex-positive messaging helps keep conversations honest, real, and stigma-free.
I’m on prep but I also… like to express myself through the clothes I wear and the art I make. The state of the world matters to me most, we must not be afraid to speak up and be heard! Be kind, fight hate with love, never stop being you… even when they don’t want you to be
I’m on PrEP, but I also… run my own business, commit to staying active, and work on finding a true sense of belonging. Right now, I’m prioritising real human connection: the kind that goes deeper than merely being online and that allows me to appreciate simple joys and the value of a genuine friendship. My being an immigrant has taught me that it’s okay to struggle, and that being kind to myself is just as important as being kind to those around me. I choose to live with the belief that there is always hope in tomorrow; taking care of my health is just one way to show how worthwhile and resilient I am while I build this new chapter of my life.
I’m on PrEP but I also… I like to think I’m a kind person who enjoys a slow life in rural Wales 80% of the time, the other 20% is stepping out of my little country surroundings to involve myself in projects of an artistic nature. I’m 29 from Wrexham, North Wales and I am the model in this art piece. At this moment in time happiness and peace are what matter most to me. I am an openly gay man, I believe everyone should have the right to live their lives so long as they aren’t harming others, we may all be different but we are all still human.
I am on PrEP…but I am also a 62 year old navigating life as a gay man in the queer community and the wider world. I was a shy and inexperienced 18 year old when HIV first entered my consciousness.
Government adverts seemed to shatter my expectations of how my journey was going to be experienced…it was devastating. Many decades later PrEP has enabled me to explore aspects of life that I had denied myself previous.
I can now be heard and seen and share my experiences with a confidence that I did not once have…
I’m on PrEP but I also… have always thought of myself as still becoming curious, reflective, and motivated by growth more than perfection. What matters to me is family and building a life that feels honest and aligned, where my time, energy, and relationships truly reflect my values. I care deeply about my spirituality, learning, making meaningful connections, and doing work that has purpose beyond simply checking boxes.
Thoughtfulness and resilience are at the core of my being: I tend to ask questions that matter, adapt when things change, and keep moving even when the path isn’t clear. I believe my journey as a Black queer migrant in this country exemplifies just how resilient I am as a person. My journey hasn’t been linear I have survived marginalisation and hate crimes in a country I once called home, as well as racism and many other hurdles here in the UK, where I sought sanctuary.
Despite the chaos I have endured, I remain teachable, learning every day to value kindness, integrity, empathy, and progress over appearances, to acknowledge my victories, and to practice gratitude more.
I’m on PrEP but… I am the definition of resilience on a journey of maximising my fullest potentially, beaten yet not defeated. I’m at the stage of my life where peace, happiness, and stability are my greatest desires. Two words that describe what makes me most are
Transparent and Authentic. People are captivated by my warm smile and demeanour but can be oblivious to what I endured nevertheless. I value honesty, friendship and ethics. My journey is never ending, while being the best version of myself, taking into consideration that each second of every day is an opportunity, that’s life!
I’m on PrEP, but I also… take vitamin gummies too. I want to live a long and healthy life and see as much of the world as possible. I love nothing more than spending time in nature; whether that be a hike up a mountain or a gentle forest walk. Being in nature allows me to create a space where I can be my full authentic queer self. Life can be stressful at times, so doing things like walking in nature and taking PrEP give me less things to worry about.
