Condom Your Cowboy - Mixed Reviews

The Condom Your Cowboy campaign runs during Stampede, promoting safer sex during this infamously sexy time. Condom Your Cowboy gets condom packs on the street, in bars, and on party buses, putting safer sex front and centre. After seeing all the great work everyone did on this year’s campaign, I was excited to see a photo (above) of the Condom Your Cowboy condom packs on Instagram. 

The comment thread for this photo was disheartening, to say the least. Words like “gross” have been used in relation to sex far too often, leaving folks too ashamed to talk about how to stay safe. Comparing fee condoms to strategies for facilitating cheating is just plain depressing. These comments paint a picture of the stigma condoms still carry. It’s fascinating to see how people my own age (mid to early 20’s) are still influenced by sex-negativity.  

So, do we agree with the old adage that any press is good press? Should we view this social media conversation as a success? This Instagram photo shows that we are getting out in the community and sparking discussions! What do you think we, as a sexual health agency, can do to better promote safe sex during Stampede?  Has our attitude towards condoms and sexuality really improved?

(Condom Your Cowboy is a partnership project with the Calgary Coalition on HIV/AIDS)

This blog article was written by Samantha McCarthy’s, AIDS Calgary Shift Case Worker and Condom Your Cowboy project member.

Happy Penis Condom?

Gearing up for a sexy time? Making the most of those last few Stampede parties? Don’t forget to Condom Your Cowboy this Stampede!

Fact: condoms are the single best protection we have against unplanned pregnancy and STI transmission, including HIV. Condoms come in all shapes and sizes! Condoms are made for men or women, latex or polyurethane, ribbed, studded, flavoured (oh my!), glow-in-the-dark, extra-small or extra-large. St- Patrick’s Day themed? Yes please!

For every penis in the world, there is a condom that will fit it. Even if you have statistically anomalous sized genitals, you can get custom sized male condoms here, so everybody can have a well fitting condom. Using the “that condom won’t fit my junk,” just doesn’t hold true friend.

But (here comes the but) even though we know that using a condom can protect ourselves and our partners, we still don’t roll one down every time we have sex. Why not?

Depending on who you’re asking, that list can be extensive. According to the Gates’ Foundation, it’s pretty straightforward: it just doesn’t feel as good.

“The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable, particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse.”

Gotcha. So in that moment right before you’re about to achieve intercourse (i.e. the moment that condom needs to get on), you’re probably not thinking totally rationally. This leads us to the question of the day: how do we get more condoms on more penises!?

According to the Gates’ Foundation, it’s to make penises happier in condoms! There’s $100,000 USD grant to develop a male condom that “significantly preserves or enhances pleasure.” And if it’s good, there’s up to $1M in other funding to make that happy-penis condom. It will be interesting to see what ideas folks come up with.

Until we see that condom breakthrough (pardon the pun), I’m afraid we’ll have to rely on the usual methods of protection. Do you have a favorite? Share your tips on how you rock the condom!

References:
 Grand Challenges in Global Health, (2013). Develop the Next Generation of Condom. Retrieved from: www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Topics/Pages/NextGeneration CondomRound11.aspx
 Centre for Disease Control (CDC), (2013). Condoms & STDs: Fact Sheet for Public Health Personnel. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/latex.htm

Are we PrEPared for PrEP?

This article was written by Volunteer Blog Writer Tyler Faulds. Tyler is a student of Mount Royal University who is obtaining his Honours Degree in Psychology. This is Tyler's first article for The AWord. If you are interested in being a writer for The A Word, please visit: http://www.aidscalgary.org/getinvolved/volunteer/volunteeroverview.cfm

Since the introduction of treatment for HIV, the lines have been drawn between medical based approaches and those rooted in social change. The two schools of treatment differ in how they combat HIV and how they foresee an end to the spread of the virus. While medical oriented treatments put heavy emphasis on drug regimens and regular testing, treatments rooted in society and culture believe that change comes through people (Kippax & Stephenson). They often focus on behavioural change and dissect the socio-cultural context of HIV on our planet. Medical approaches can be conceptualized as treatment, and societal ones as prevention. Combined approaches have become more popular, and campaigns that focus on condom use along-side regular testing have been gaining momentum. Still, we see more than 2.6 million new HIV infections a year (Geneva, 2009), and the problem is evidently not under control – yet.

Enter PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. Considered a medical based approach, this type of treatment involves prescribing HIV negative individuals with HAART as a way to prevent HIV acquisition. It stands as a possible breakthrough in the prevention of new HIV infections, but is also marred with controversy and critics. Approved by the United States’ FDA, Truvada is a combination pill of Tenofovir and Emtricitabine. With perfect adherence in clinical trials, it has shown to reduce the risk of transmission by approximately 40-70% (Okwendu, 2012). These trials evaluated the effectiveness of Truvada within six “high risk” categories including HIV negative men who have sex with men, males and females in relationships where one partner is HIV positive and one is negative, and people that use intravenous drugs. Due to its incredibly high costs (~12 000 USD a year) as well as numerous other factors, PrEP is a highly contentious issue.

The cost alone is a major barrier. While proponents of PrEP suggest that it is applicable to people in higher risk categories, it is evident that cost would be a huge hurdle to cross for some of these groups. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where incomes are low and HIV transmission is high, a $12 000 USD price tag is inconceivable when food is a daily concern. Reactions to this criticism, especially from the drug’s manufacturer Gilead, cite that cost is a concern for any new medical intervention, but through regulation and development the costs would come down.

Salim Karim of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, argues that PrEP empowers women. Many must rely on their sexual partners to get tested, get treatment, and wear condoms and that is often a difficult task to accomplish. PrEP would allow women to take their health into their own hands, protecting themselves from HIV with no help needed from others. Opponents argue that relying on PrEP will direct attention away from the heavily needed condom supply and prevention which so many communities still require.

PrEP has been branded a short cut in some arenas. Does it make sense to offer a solution where a person just takes a pill and forgets about it? – they could worry less about safer sex practices, condom use, and needle awareness. Is it that simple? Is it really that black and white? People living with HIV on HAART are all too aware of the possible side effects. Although they differ on a person by person basis, many of them are unpleasant, disruptive and a mountain to overcome. An HIV negative person taking PrEP would not be just taking a pill. They could endure the nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue that accompany the treatment, as well as the kidney damage and bone loss that are hallmarks of Truvada. This is another reason why proponents stress that PrEP is not for everyone. The second part of the shortcut argument is that a widespread use of PrEP (which has been shown to reduce HIV transmission by about 40+%) would change attitudes towards the risks of certain activities and cause people to lax on their diligence and safety. Note - condoms reduce HIV transmission ~90%). Countless studies have asked, “If Truvada or something similar was available to you, and you knew that it would cut your risk of transmission would you still use condoms?” The results have been inconclusive. A study by Golub et al. (2010) showed that 35% of the men they surveyed thought they would decline condom use if on PrEP. Other studies like the one performed by Holt et al. (2012) showed that only 8% of the men they surveyed thought they would reduce condom use. It’s worth knowing that those 8% were also correlated with older age and monogamous relationships.

These answers are likely swayed by the need to answer in a desirable fashion. That is, people will always answer in a way which they think they should rather than how they actually feel. There is no way to tell if people will really stop wearing condoms or using clean needles until actually given the chance. This illustrates why a combined social and medical model is the strongest, because all sides need to be addressed.

One of the largest arguments against PrEP is the issue of adherence. For Truvada to be effective it must be taken every day with no missed doses, and consistently this is not the case. Myers (2012) argues that just like a half-finished bottle of antibiotics following strep throat, an inconsistent adherence schedule would eventually develop resistance to the treatment. This in turn could create strains of HIV resistant to Truvada, a main component of treatment for people already living with HIV. In the pilot study of Truvada, participants were paid for their involvement and also received daily counselling on their medicine adherence. Even still, only 18% of participants adhered to treatment perfectly. If people who are paid and counseled to take a drug cannot do it consistently, how will HIV negative, unpaid and uncounseled individuals fare?

Finally, let’s revisit the side effects. The first antiviral for HIV is not 30 years old, and HAART hasn’t turned 20 yet. There is no denying the ground breaking leaps and bounds that these drugs have provided for those living with HIV. People are living longer and healthier, and the tides may be slowly turning. We know that if treated efficiently and if treatment adherence is high, a person today has a much better outlook than someone 20 years ago did. It might be what we don’t know however, that’s more important.

We still don’t know what will happen after 40 or 50 years on the drugs. What will happen to the virus, to the body or to resistance? There is no data on these risks. We know the drugs are toxic, and is there sense in giving these drugs to anyone other than the people that need them? Should we be putting more effort on social change, or is PrEP really the next step in the battle against HIV and AIDS?

There will always be those that rush ahead, and those that hang back and wait to see what happens. What should happen now? Would you take PrEP if it were an option?

References

Karim S. (2012). Antiretroviral prophylaxis for HIV prevention reaches a key milestone.

Kippax S. & Stephenson N. (2012). Between biomedical and social dimensions of HIV. American Journal of Public Health. 102 (5).

Myers , T. (2012, August 03). Hiv prevention pill will do more harm than good . Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com

Okwundu , Uthman , Okoromah (2012) Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for preventing HIV in high-risk individuals". Cochrane Database Syst Rev 7 (7)

AIDS Epidemic Update (Geneva, Switzerland: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2009).
Golub, Sarit, Kowalczyk, Weinberger and Parsons (2010). Pre-exposure prophylaxis and predicted condom use among high-risk men who have sex with men. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 54(5).
Holt, Murphy, Callander, Ellard, Rosengarten Kippax and de Wit. (2012). Willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and the likelihood of decreased condom use are both associated with unprotected intercourse and the perceived likelihood of becoming HIV positive among Australian gay and bisexual men. Sexually Transmitted Infections. 88(4).

No Glove, No Movie?

Last week, in a near-unanimous 9–1 vote, Los Angeles City Council members voted in a new city ordinance which requires adult film actors to wear condoms while performing in films.

This news came as a victory to Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been the driving force in bringing this issue forward. The foundation has been aggressively seeking changes in an effort to protect the occupational health and safety of workers in the adult film industry. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation collected over 60,000 signatures of support from local residents, which allowed the law to be approved by council without being put to a special city vote. The new law requires mandatory condom use by performers in order to be granted a filming permit in Los Angeles. Porn producers who do not comply with the regulations will be required to pay a fee and the rule will be enforced by surprise inspections of filming sites.

The ruling is expected to have a significant impact on the multi-billion dollar porn industry concentrated in this area: It is estimated that 90% of all legally distributed pornographic films made in the United States are either filmed or produced by studios based in the San Fernando Valley. The San Fernando Valley has often been referred to as “Porn Valley” and nearly 2/3 of the area is under the jurisdiction of the City of Los Angeles.

In a response to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and the deaths of prominent adult film actors such as John Holmes, the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation created a system for regular testing among performers. Adult film industry actors are currently tested for HIV, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea every 30 days, and Hepatitis, Syphilis, and the Herpes Simplex Virus annually. Many critics argue that this approach to testing is not sufficient as it does not offer any real protection against infection, only the ability to learn of a diagnosis quickly.
The American adult film industry has been hit with a number of small outbreaks of HIV among adult film actors since the inception of the regular testing policies. The majority of these outbreaks began with a single male actor and resulted in several of their female partners also testing positive. While HIV transmission has been relatively low among adult film performers, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise. Untreated STIs can lead to a substantially increased risk of contracting HIV during unprotected sexual contact with an HIV+ partner.

Statistics from the Los Angeles Country Department of Public Health illustrated a sharp increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections experienced by adult film actors during the years 2000-2008. In the period of April 2004 – March 2008, there were a reported 2,847 STIs among 1,884 adult film performers in Los Angeles County. Women represented 70% of these cases, with 15% having experienced 4 or more infections within a 12 month period. The overrepresentation of women is largely thought to be the result of the high female-to-male ratio of performers in the industry, and the physical susceptibility of women for contracting various kinds of infections through riskier and prolonged sexual activities.

Critics and representatives of the Adult Film Industry feel that mandatory condom use will have a significant impact on the profitability of their films. They report that viewers of adult entertainment will find condoms to be a disruption of the fantasies that these films aim to create. In an interview last Wednesday with the New York Daily News, veteran adult film actor Ron Jeremy stated: "Performers don't mind wearing rubbers, but viewers don't want to see it. It ruins the fantasy". Others challenge the new requirements by stating that condom use in the industry should be the choice of consenting adults and not an issue for the government.
Where should we draw the line between an employer’s duty to ensure occupational health and safety and the government’s involvement in consenting sexual activities? Does condom use diminish the fantasy of adult films, or is their use a powerful reinforcement of safer-sex social norms? The answers to these questions remain to be seen as industry executives are faced with the decision to comply with the new rules or set up operations in another jurisdiction.


http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/01/21/HIV_Advocate_Pushes_Mandated_Condom_Use_in_Porn/
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/ron-jeremy-exclusive-condom-law-a-wrap-porn-industry-a-article-1.1008562?localLinksEnabled=false
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/condoms-porn-aids-la-county.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/18/local/la-me-0118-porn-condoms-20120118
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/262811/col-porn-ladph-study.pdf

Different Colors

This article was written by AIDS Calgary’s Outreach worker

Have you ever noticed that condoms come in different colours, flavours, textures, and materials? Consider the plethora of shapes, sizes, as well as other enhancements such as lubricants, spermicides and so on. Not to forget existence of female condoms and dental dams. Condom manufacturers are not stopping there either. It is reported that durex will be launching condoms with a Viagra® -like substance to curb condom induced erectile dysfunction (Huffington Post, 2011). With so many options, there is surely a condom for everyone. Like many other things in life, we need to give a couple a whirl before deciding on which styles work best to protect from numerous infections including HIV; as well as keeping our lives fun and interesting.

Condoms have not always come in an array of shapes and sizes. In fact, people from generations before us did not have as many options as people in contemporary society do. There is evidence to suggest the first protective sheaths were developed as early as 100-BC. (Avert, 2011). Debate on which civilization developed the concept is still out there. Historians, anthropologists and health scientists have witnessed condom-like material from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and some parts of Asia. Early condoms were made out of linen, silk paper, shells and other materials. Rather difficult to imagine what that would have been like eh?

Europe experienced a surge in new syphilis infections around the 1500’s that helped put condoms on the map. Gabrielle Fallopius is credited for publishing the first article confirming the protective properties of linen condoms. It was also around this time that they discovered proper use of condoms could indeed prevent pregnancy (Avert, 2011). One could argue the first condom enhancements took place at this time as well. Scientists learned dipping condoms in some chemicals could kill sperm- this further enhanced the protective characteristics of condoms. By the late 1700’s hand made condoms thrived. Some pharmacies took the initiative to raise condom awareness through advertisements and handbills.

Condoms of the rubber sort did not emerge till about the 1800’s, Goodyear and his partner- yes the tire guys; developed a process that could turn rubber into a stretchy elastic substance (lovepanky, 2011). This made it easy for manufactures to make condoms using a hand dipping process. Rubber cement condoms however aged quickly and were known to break. So in 1919 Frederick Killian decided to try latex instead of rubber. This actually worked well. In addition to making them stronger, he was able to rid them of the strong, unpleasant rubber scent. Creature comforts we take for granted today such as lubricant were added to condoms in by 1957 by durex (Avert, 2011).

Since then condom enhancements have occurred left-right and center. Examples include the introduction of female condoms in 1992 (Avert, 2011). It is also around the same time color and flavor was added to the mix. Other materials such as polyurethane for individuals with allergies or different preference were launched. It should be stressed however that not all condoms protect against HIV and some STI’s. Be sure to carefully read the label and contact a sexual health center or AIDS service organization should you have any doubts, questions and or concerns. If everything checks out; let the sparks fly!

References
‘Viagra Condom’ Durex CSD500 Coming to Europe. (2011, August 5). Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/viagra-condom-durex-csd500-_n_859640.html

Condoms: Effectiveness, History and Availability. (2011). Retrieved October 3, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/condoms.htm

Facts About Condoms. (2011) Retrieved October 3, 2011 from http://www.lovepanky.com/sensual-tease/sizzle/facts-about-condoms

The Psychology of Do or Don’t I....

This article was created by ACAA's Project Manager of Bow Valley. To learn more about the programs and services ACAA offers in Bow Valley visit http://www.aidscalgary.org/supportservices/bowvalley.cfm or contact info@aidscalgary.org.

Every day we make choices and decisions that involve a certain amount of risk, how we decide in each circumstance depends on both external and internal factors. Add other people to our decision making process and it gets even more complicated, at least it does for most people.

In our prevention efforts at AIDS Calgary I think it would be safe to say that we are all working towards preventing the spread of HIV and other STIs and a big piece of that work is around education and promoting condom use.

We share the process of how HIV and other STIs are transmitted, we talk about the risk involved and in our efforts to move more people towards using condoms and we also look to indentify the barriers that get in the way of people using them.

We acknowledge that there are many circumstances that contribute to a person’s decision not to use protection, but for this conversation I want to address the decision to have unsafe sex when a person does have all the facts, knows all the risks and has access to condoms.

There is likely no definite answer here, especially when we’re talking about investigating choices and decisions, but there may be evidence of how complicated our minds and choices really are.

I believe the complexity to how we each make decisions everyday travels down a path of both conscious and unconscious choices. There are many people who knowingly take the risk of getting HIV or other STIs through having unsafe sex, which raises a couple of questions for me.

Is there a moment when the person has a thought, impulse or even a conversation that they should wear protection but yet they still continue forward with having unprotected sex?

If they do then my next question is… what is it that overrides those thoughts?

Think about it, does a person with all the facts and access to condoms actually consciously say to themselves “I am choosing to have unprotected sex right now”?

I am interested to understand and identify if there is indeed an internal struggle with our decision making processes. If there is an internal conflict right before a person engages in sex, then I would suggest that understanding this dynamic is one of greatest barriers once education on all the facts is presented.

When I stand up in front of a group to provide education on HIV and STIs I am always curious to ask the question, “What are the reasons why you think people don’t wear condoms?” Some people will answer from personal experience and others from an outside perspective.

Each group will come up with different reasons such as:
They were too intoxicated
Shows a sign of lack of trust if you wear a condom
There are no condoms in the vicinity
Financially cannot afford to buy condoms
Doesn’t feel as good
You know the person well enough
Laziness

These are just a few of the examples that I hear during my presentations and for me they represent answers to more questions. It’s the tip of the ice berg when it comes to how we make our individual choices, especially when it comes to the psychology of do I or don’t I put this condom on.

It is a lot easier to have a discussion about condoms before having sex but that conversation can be tricky and sometimes uncomfortable. Generally speaking it’s not a talk that many of us prepare for, so that in itself can build the momentum towards experiencing such a conversation as embarrassing or if left unspoken creating that elephant in the room.

How will the other person respond, will they get insulted? Will I ruin the mood? And what are the chances this person has HIV or an STI? These are just some examples that I have heard when talking with very honest people about their internal struggles of deciding to bring the topic up or not.

I knew a young man that used to have multiple partners when he was younger and most of the time it was with strangers. He was extremely intelligent, knew the facts of how HIV and STIs were transmitted and often had a condom in his pocket when he was engaging in sex, yet he almost never used it.

Once when we were talking about why he had condoms in his pocket and why it was that he never used them. He replied with “I don’t know, I know better but when I get to that moment my attitude changes. It’s as if I don’t care in that moment and then spend the entire next day worrying about the consequences.”

At the end of the day we are all adults who have the right to choose the kind of sex we want to experience. I believe that self awareness is good for all of us and each of us thinks, acts and responds differently. With a better understanding of ourselves we can better support our decisions.

Of Popes and Condoms

The HIV world has been stirred up once again by a comment from the Pope about condom use. Reactions have been mixed as organizations and individuals try to figure out the exact meaning of the Pope’s latest comments.

On November 23rd, a book-length interview with Pope Benedict XVI titled, “Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times”, was released. Somewhere in the middle of this 250 page tome the Pope touches on condom use, saying:

“There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralisation, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants.”

The Pope goes on to say that condoms aren’t “really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection” and that the Catholic Church doesn’t regard condoms as a “real or moral solution”. But many have interpreted the Pope’s comments as the first step towards recognizing that using a condom to prevent the spread of HIV would be the lesser of two evils.

The Catholic Church has remained firm on their stance against artificial contraception in general and also the use of condoms in particular (both for preventing pregnancy and the spread of HIV). Given this unwavering position, many AIDS service organizations responded to the Pope’s latest comments with optimism. UNAIDS even went so far as to “welcome Pope Benedict’s support to HIV prevention”.

Meanwhile, the Vatican and many church officials have been cautioning people against reading too much into the Pope’s comment. The Pope was not, in fact, changing church doctrine or even necessarily going so far as to “justify” condom use. All papal statements are apparently not created equal.

So the question remains, is this a first step towards the Catholic Church recognizing the critical role that condoms can play in preventing the spread of HIV? And if it is, might that step be so small as to be considered completely ineffectual?

What do you think about the Pope’s recent comments? Do you think that this is a step towards the Catholic Church changing it’s stance on condom use in a broader range of cases with the goal of stemming the spread of HIV?


Sources
Donadio, Rachel. “Pope’s Comments on Condoms Sow Confusion.” New York Times. November 22, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/europe/23pope.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
Kenny, Peter and Sandri, Luigi. “UNAIDS says Pope’s condom move makes HIV cooperation easier.” The Christian Century. November 23, 2010. http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2010-11/unaids-says-popes-condom-move-makes-hiv-cooperation-easier. Retrieved November 24, 2010
UNAIDS welcomes Pope Benedict’s support to HIV prevention. UNAIDS Press Release. November 20, 2010. http://unaidstoday.org/?p=1662. Retrieved November 24, 2010.

Free condoms anyone?

Condoms. We all know what they are and where to get them, right? We’re all willing and able to toss them into our basket on a Saturday afternoon drug store run, right? And if we discover an empty box in our nightstand we are definitely going to put our pants back on and drive out to the store to get some, right?...right?

We know that “condom use is a critical element in a comprehensive, effective and sustainable approach to HIV prevention and treatment.”1 We also know that even in a prosperous city like Calgary, people can’t always afford or even access condoms regularly.

“Condoms must be readily available universally, either free or at low cost, and promoted in ways that help overcome social and personal obstacles to their use. Condom use is more likely when people can access them at no cost or at greatly subsidized prices. Effective condom promotion targets not only the general population, but also people at higher risk of HIV exposure, especially women, young people, sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men.”2

The good news is that it’s easy to address both cost and accessibility. All we need to do is give the condoms away for free. This is where agencies like AIDS Calgary can step in to utilize our wide network of distribution channels. We distribute free male condoms, female condoms and dental dams via events, community venues, outreach at other social service agencies, street level outreach and through our office. Our popular wall-mounted condom bins in fixed locations also mean we are able to reach diverse individuals and communities in areas where they are already accessing services and social activities.

Giving away free condoms seems simple, and it is. Grabbing a few from a basket in front of you is just as simple. So go ahead, grab some and keep that nightstand stocked!


Sources:
1. WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA. Position Statement on Condoms and HIV Prevention, 2004. Retrieved August 31, 2010. http://www.unfpa.org/upload/lib_pub_file/343_filename_Condom_statement.pdf
2. WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA.

Condoms: An essential tool in the fight against HIV

Recently there has been a media buzz surrounding Catholic Church leaders and the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV in Africa.

In an article published in the Calgary Herald on March 18, Pope Benedict was quoted saying that AIDS “is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.”

On March 27, the Calgary Herald published an article when Bishop Fred Henry sent a letter to the Calgary Catholic Teacher’s Association encouraging members to focus their AIDS charity fundraising efforts on organizations which share Catholic values. Previously the teachers had raised money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a prominent organization that promotes the use of condoms as an effective means to prevent the spread of HIV.

AIDS Calgary was very disappointed to hear the Bishop’s position on teachers raising funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. We took the opportunity to respond when approached by local media.

To quote UNAIDS Condoms and HIV Prevention Position Statement, “The male latex condom is the single, most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.”

We at AIDS Calgary firmly believe that access to condoms is essential in the fight against HIV. While abstinence is also a tool in the arsenal, it is not always an option. Evidence shows that condom use prevents the spread of HIV. Further, “condom use is more likely when people can access them at no cost or at greatly subsidized prices” according to UNAIDS.

But what are your thoughts? Do you agree with the Pope that condoms should not be used to fight the spread of HIV? Do you think that the Catholic Teachers Association should not be allowed to raise money for an organization that does not strictly adhere to Catholic values?

We would love you hear your opinions!


Pope Denounces Condom Use In AIDS-plagued Africa - Calgary Herald, March 18, 2009

Calgary Catholic Teachers Drop AIDS Charity - Calgary Herald, March 27, 2009

Condoms and HIV Prevention: Position Statement by UNAIDS, UNFPA, and WHO

Condom, Latex Condom.

I know I don’t look very strong. But look at me. I’m waterproof, flexible and oh so thin.

Who wouldn’t want me?

They call me Condom. Latex Condom.

I have the coolest friends too. Coloured, Flavoured and Ribbed. Sure, I’m not as flashy as them, but trust me, we’re all up for any situation. I’m sure you know what I mean.

We’re smart too eh. Nothin’ gets past us. We’re like the bouncers to the exclusive club where only sexy sensations have access. No bribes will convince us to let in sperm, STI’s like the syph and gonorrhea, even HIV – no, we’re awesome like that.

Actually, hold up. There is a slight possibility that some things you don’t want in your club will slip through, but look it’s normally not our fault. We go through so much to be the best for you – we have a maturing stage, take electric shock tests, get locked in a square foil with lube, take leakage and quality control tests and sit on store shelves, waiting patiently to be bought.

It’s taken 400 years to get us this way. Our ancestors were made of oiled silk paper, tortoise shells, linen sheaths, leather and the various insides of animals. Even today we’re not the only option because you can find our friends lambskin and polyurethane.

I think we’re the best though.

I’m not placing blame, but you people - sometimes you get so caught up in the heat you poke holes, let us slip off, damage us with oil-based lubricant or forget to use us at all!

Let’s just agree that neither of us is perfect. Pay attention now, here’s how to do it the right way:

- make sure the expiry date has not passed
- tear package and be careful not to rip with teeth or fingernails
- place, still rolled, over the tip of an erect penis
- pinch the tip to get all the air out, and unroll with your other hand

Consider using some water-based lube on the outside, we really like that and think you will too. Or, get your partner to help – it might be fun!

I admit we’re low maintenance. I’ll liven up your day or night in playful, seductive ways. Trash me after one use and go on to one of my friends for the next time…

So, come on. Pick us up. Put us on. Protect yourself.

Who wouldn’t want me?

They call me Condom. Latex Condom.