Weekly Links Roundup 3/2/12 - Condoms, Safe Sex, Sex Education
It’s Friday again ONE Condoms supporters and when Friday rolls around it’s time for ONE’s weekly links roundup! Below you’ll find news stories from the last week regarding condoms, safe sex, and sex education. Be sure to check out the developments in mandatory condom use for porn actors, QR Condoms, and the “Study Sex College Tour,” all of which have been rocking the sexual health world this past week.
If you’d like to share any additional stories we may have missed please leave them in the comments. We’d love to hear what else is going on in spreading safe sex awareness.
Condoms
Condoms In Porn Petition: Los Angeles County Measure Could Make It To November
Condom users make big mistakes that can lead to pregnancy, STDs
Women’s Condom Use Drops During 1st Year of College
QR Codes on Condoms: ‘Check-Ins’ Let You Share Your Safe Sex
Money Seems to Matter for Teen Girls, Condoms
China enforces new condom rule
Safe Sex
Zac Efron Earns a Boy Scout Safe Sex Badge
Program Increases Safe Sex Practices in Latina Women
Condom use 101: Basic errors are so common, study finds
Sex Education
Sex education should be a joint responsibility of parents, teachers
‘Study Sex College Tour’ makes Sex Ed cool, prioritizes pleasure
Utah Will Be Damned if Sex Ed Classes Teach About Anything Sex-y
Seniors and sex: Education important at any age
Condom Campaign Encourages Users to Share Where They Did It
In today’s digital age, you’re likely to share a lot about your personal life online already. Now, you can also “check in” when you have sex!
The Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest (PPGNW) established a program that allows you to share with the world when and while you’re practicing safe sex. The PPGNW, in observation of National Condom Week, distributed 55,000 condoms with QR codes on them. QR are scannable barcodes that take you to the wheredidyouwearit.com (WDYWI), where you can report your protected sex sessions’ location.
PPGNW says “it’s like Foursquare for people who don’t want a sexually transmitted infection.” The Where Did You Wear IT site has an interactive map that pinpoints your exact location of where you did it. It does not share any of your personal information either. The website is searchable by gender, orientation, age, location, relationship status, the reason for using condoms, and the quality of the sex.
The campaign has taken off. People from 48 states and 6 continents have reported where they did it. You don’t have to have a QR condom to participate. You can check in directly without a QR specific condom too.
The goal of Where Did You Wear It is clear. It is to promote safe sex and to universalize condom use into common and preferred behavior. According to PPGNW’s media coordinator, “we hope the site promotes discussions within relationships about condoms and helps to remove perceived stigmas that some people may have about condom use.”
Data also suggests that many people do n’t know how to use a condom correcty A Sexual Health journal study released last month found many user errors. The PPGNW campaign looks to spread more information to its user to encourage safe sex behviors. PPGNW is targeting college aged students and millennials who are comfortable with social media and who are proud to share they wore protection.
ONE Condoms supports initiatives that spread safe sex messages and encourage people to make healthy and safe choices when it comes to their sexual health. ONE Condoms want to make condoms as socially acceptable as toothpaste and safer sex as second nature as wearing a seat belt. A portion of every ONE Condoms sale goes towards HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.
Are you willing to share where you practiced safe sex with the world and spread the safe sex message?
Condoms : How to Avoid Common User Errors
Condoms are 99% effective at preventing pregnancies and STI’s. This is of course, only if you use them properly.
50 studies recently gathered 14 countries during the years between 1995 and 2011 have been analyzed by the Kinsey Institute Condom Use Research Team (KICURT). These studies highlight a number of user inflicted condom errors. Some of the mistakes include using a sharp object to open the packet, putting a condom on too late or by taking it off too early.
These studies found that between 17 and 51.1 % of people put a condom on after sex has already begun and between 13.6 and 44.7 % percent said that they take it off too early. Even at the lowest outliers, 13 % of people is still too many in ONE’s mind. These studies also found that up to 45.7 percent of men surveyed did not leave space at the tip of the condom for semen.
Studies regarding condom efficacy are commonplace however much attention has not been given to how consistently and properly condoms are used by their user. ONE Condoms wants all of our users to safely and properly know how to use a condom. Included in every ONE Condoms packet are detailed instructions on how to properly use a condom. Here’s how to use condoms correctly.
First, handle with care. You should always remember to store condoms in a cool, dry place. Condoms don’t like extreme temperatures. Also, do not use if expired. Tear open the package carefully. Do not use your fingernails, teeth or anything that could damage the condom. Make sure to push the condom away from the foil notch when you are going to tear. Once out of the package, roll the condom on with your fingers before any sexual contact. Remember to pinch the receptacle tip of the condom between your thumb and forefinger. This prevents air from becoming trapped at the tip of the condom and allows space for semen. Use the condom during the entirety of your sex session. Using lubricant will reduce the risk of your condom breaking also. Once finished, hold the base of the condom after withdrawal.
Remember condoms are only effective if used properly. ONE Condoms keeps you protected and informed from harmful and unwanted diseases. Many infections could be avoided by improved user effectiveness. A portion of every ONE Condoms sale goes towards HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.
Stay safe and use ONE everytime.
Condom Designs by Keith Herring in Garage Magazine
A recent issue in Garage Magazine, an art and culture publication, is devoted to the theme of sex and relationships. Among the topics of the legalization of gay marriage, the development of fertilization treatments, and internet dating, is a section of artist designed condoms.
The featured artists behind the condom illustrations are none other than Keith Herring, Mat Collishaw, Tim Noble, and Sue Webster. We are particularly intrigued by Keith Herring’s as he never ceases to fail in creating relatable and interesting graphics. The condoms are available in every copy of the magazine.
ONE® Condoms supports all forms of self-expression, particularly that which spreads messages of safe sex and universal condom use. ONE® Condoms feature more than 200 different designs, with many created by customers like you. Every year we’re looking for new designs for our next series of condoms. We want your help in creating the next generation of ONE® Condoms through our foil wrapper competition.
You can submit your own ONE® Condoms designs through our design contest here. So express yourself. Push the envelope and show us what you’ve got!
Weekly Links Roundup 1/26/12 - Safe Sex, Condoms, Sex Education
It’s Official - Condoms Required for Porn Actors
Actors in adult movies in Los Angeles will be required to use condoms in all future adult films to be made. The city’s law was singed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday.
The law will take effect 41 days from it being signed.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation president, Michael Weinstein, has pushed for such a measure for 6 years. “The city of Los Angeles has done the right thing for the performers,” he stated.
This adoption of this law is essential in protecting adult film actors from HIV/AIDS and other STI’s. Also, with the average age of children watching porn (11 years old) getting younger every year, porn is starting to replace positive sex education. This law will impact the way teenagers understand and experience safe sex behaviors including necessary condom use.
As much as 90% of porn films produced in the U.S. are made in Los Angeles and most are filmed in the city’s suburb of San Fernando Valley.
This regulation could force porn industry leaders out of the porn capital of the U.S and move to counties just outside of Los Angeles. Surrounding counties’ mayors have announced similar proposals to their city councils in case this move does happen.
The law requires filmmakers to pay a fee (still to be determined) that is used for spot checks at filming locations. It is still unclear who and how the law will be enforced. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is determined to keep track on where porn producers go, and pushes for similar legislation in those areas.
One thing is certain, protecting people’s lives is at the forefront of this legislation.
ONE® Condoms is for this mandate on positive condom use in the porn industry. ONE® seeks to protect and promote universal positive safe sex behavior. A portion of every ONE Condoms sale goes to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.
Are you personally for or against this Los Angeles law that was just signed into effect and do you think condoms in porn is a good idea?
Latest Teenager Trend - Multi-Person Sex ?
A recent Boston University Study has found 1 in 13 teenage girls have reported engaging a multi-person sex experience. Many respondents to the survey felt pressured into initiating a multi-person sex experience by the influence of boyfriends who have been watching pornography.
The average age of girls partaking in multi-person sex was just 15.6 years old, under the age of legal consent in all U.S. states (the most common being 16 years old). Disturbingly, nearly 50% of those who had multi-person sex reported their partners not using condoms.
This raises serious concerns over the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and education efforts to encourage informed sexual health decision making among teenagers. There is clearly a major influence of pornography on teenagers. Out of those who engaged in multi-person sex, 50% did things their partners say in porn first.
Porn seems to be influencing the sexual behavior of these teens. As we said in last weeks post entitled “Porn to Replace Sex Education? A Call for Mandatory Condom Use”, sex positive behavior in porn is a must. A problem certainly exists since some youth think “Growing up, watching porn – that’s sort of where you get your grasp of what’s normal and what’s not.” Teenagers deserve quality sex education to encourage healthy and well informed decision making.
ONE® Condoms urges everyone to make informed sexual health decisions to prevent the spread of harmful diseases. We donate a portion of all profits to AIDS/HIV education both domestically & abroad. Keep yourself protected with ONE® Condoms.
Porn to Replace Sex Education? A Call for Mandatory Condom Use.
L.A., home to the multibillion dollar U.S. porn industry, will soon be forced to decide whether condoms should be required in adult films to reduce sexually transmitted diseases. If and when the vote is held, should LA residents vote for adult film producers to require the use of condoms on porn sets as a condition for getting movie permits?
Currently most adult film companies there shoot films without condoms. Arguments against this possible condom mandate include current workplace rules protecting porn employees from STI’s by mandatory testing. Producers claim that condoms are required when adult film actors could be exposed to an STI.
Even so, this regulatory measure is not 100% fool proof. Derrick Burts, a former adult film actor, was infected with HIV on a shoot and claimed that most performers would like to wear condoms but actors do not wish to go against the wishers of the producers.
Condoms should absolutely be required in adult film movies. Here’s why.
The average age when children first watch porn is just 11 and the fact is pornography is rapidly replacing positive sex education.
Children have been turning to adult films since schools don’t handle the positive aspects of sex clumsily. Sex and intimacy is avoided in schools. According to sex researcher Maree Crabbe, “porn has become a cultural mediator in how young people are understanding and experiencing sex.”
One teenage boy from her study said “Growing up, watching porn – that’s sort of where you get your grasp of what’s normal and what’s not.”
Government needs to address these attitudes and trends by forcing porn producers to use condoms. That way, even with upward trends in youngsters watching porn, positive condom use and sex positive behavior will be engrained into the youth.
ONE® Condoms is for a mandate on positive condom use in the porn industry. A portion of every ONE Condoms sale goes to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad. You can find out more about the referendum here.
Are you for or against this initiative?
Friday Links Roundup 12/2/11 - Safe Sex, Condoms, Sex Education
Condom Art at Centre Pompidou in Paris
From November 22 to December 5, 2011, installation artist Bryan McCormack will highlight a hall of condoms on 6 floors of the National Modern Art Museum of France (Centre Pompidou). The artist has chosen to multiply the condom and take it out of its normal context as to create a motif of protection seen in a new light.
“Condoms evoke imagery not only of protection from STI’s but also symbolize the male gender, sexuality, eroticism, religion, customs and values. Thru art, I’d like to eliminate all associations around it and consider the condom as an object beyond its functionality”, says McCormack.
As you walk through the hall and to the middle of the installation, you are spun into a mix of your own associations with condoms coupled with consistent condom repetition designed to liberate your perceptions. The installation is paired with environmental sound and music.
ONE Condoms supports self-expression and art especially in the pursuit of research against AIDS. ONE donates a portion of each sale to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.
Do you think that the exhibit will spark a discussion to combat religious negativity surrounding condom use?
