Introducing the Free Condom iPhone App
Let’s say you’re about to tap that… oh, and you’re also an extremely cheap New Yorker. But you want to have safe sex, right? Of course you do! And you haven’t been able to score free rubbers since the clinic of your college days. Fear not, Young Stallion; as long as you have your trusty iPhone, hope is not lost!
On National Condom Awareness Day, NYC Health introduced the world to their new application, NYC Condom Finder. The app helps you find FREE condoms wherever you are in New York City using your iPhone’s GPS to locate the 5 nearest venues that distribute free NYC condoms. It even provides walking directions! (OK, you might be running.) With more than 3,000 locations throughout all 5 boroughs, you’ll be able to wrap that package fo shizzle, ma nizzle! Yay, safe sex!
Sex Toy Drive Thru
Browsing in adult novelty shops can be kind of an awkward experience depending on who else is in the store and who’s behind the register. The state of Alabama would tend to agree; especially since sex toys are technically illegal there. Introducing Pleasures: the country’s first sex-toy drive-thru service located in Huntsville, AL.
AL’s anti-obscenity law has been in effect since 1998, but officials said the sex toy ban was not intentional but it was the result of “borrowing language from other states with similar laws.” The law makes an exception to the sale of items designed for “stimulation of human genital organs” if the sale is for “a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial or law enforcement purpose“. Essentially, customers can’t purchase sex toys unless they fill out a medical questionnaire describing health-related reasons for the purchase.
When is it too early to teach kids about safe sex? If they’re dressed up as Teletubbies, chances are you can hold off on the Sex Ed. One couple in Oregon decided that instead of giving out candy this Halloween, they were going to give out condoms… and lectures on safe sex.
Apparently they’ve been handing out condoms to teenagers on Halloween since the early 1990s, the height of the national AIDS epidemic. (For ghosts and ghouls not yet of age, they still had chocolate and toothbrushes on hand.)
To no surprise, the act was met with plenty of resistance from neighborhood parents. The father of a 14-year-old girl, found 3 condoms in his daughter’s candy stash and stated, “It is hard for me as a parent to imagine any justification for giving children condoms without parents’ consent.”
The couple admitted that giving a 14-year-old a condom was a mistake, but say their usual practice is to ask kids’ age and distribute condoms only to those 16 or older. Unhappy teens will, no doubt, creatively express their dissatisfaction with such treats…
Two Men Caught Having Sex at Kmart
I know, Kmart often has that effect on me too – it might be the Martha Stewart Collection, not sure. Regardless, two men were arrested after a Kmart manager heard moaning sounds coming from the men’s bathroom. (They don’t call it “The Big K” for nothing, I guess). The manager contacted local police and reported two men engaged in a sexual act in one of the stalls.
When questioned, the men told police that they didn’t know each other and denied the incident. However, one of the men had gloves, condoms and lotion in his right pocket.The two men, a 58-year-old and a 59-year-old, are now facing charges of disorderly conduct.
Apparently, three other men were arrested at the same Kmart for soliciting sex earlier this year, so it must be on Craigslist or something; though I didn’t see anything about this particular bathroom in the Men Seeking Men section. The glory-hole in the men’s bathroom at Washington Square Park, however…
Good news for sexually active 12-year-olds! A major Swiss condom manufacturer just created extra-small condoms for boys as young as 12 years of age. A standard condom has a diameter of 2 inches, while the newly created condom, known as ‘The Hotshot’, is 1.7 inches. (Actually, I can think of a few men above the age of 12 that might also benefit from this.)
The mini-condom, whose slogan is “it fits when passion hits“, was the result of research done by family planning groups and the Swiss AIDS Federation. Their studies showed that adolescent boys were not using proper protection when engaging in intercourse. Currently, the product is only offered in Switzerland and sells for 7.60 Swiss Francs per pack of six. However, a representative of the manufacturer stated that the newly developed condoms will hopefully soon be available in the UK, which has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Europe.
A (male, obviously) professor conducted a study suggesting that unprotected sex is better for mental health than sex with condoms. The study was based on the sexual behaviour of 99 women and 111 men in Portugal who completed a survey regarding their sex lives and contraceptive use.
The research found that unprotected sex can significantly boost mental well being. Patients who indicated that they regularly use condoms showed an increase in stress and depression while those that had unprotected sex appeared to be able to deal with stress in a more mature way by taking effective action and had better mental health.
The conclusions from the study will be published in the academic journal, Archives of Sexual Behaviour, and are expected to meet with extreme resistance from groups anxious to promote safe sex and prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs.
