Obama condoms, and other stories #HIV #AIDS
Man, oh man – talk about a perfect tool for safe sex. One look at this picture on a condom and I’d absolutely lose my sex buzz:
And why am I running such an awful picture? Because it’s an actual condom wrapper and here’s the fun story to go with:
A judge dismissed the case of a New York City man selling condoms bearing politically charged messages without a retail permit.
Jose Andujar, who was selling the condoms in September 2010, argued that his condoms fell within the legal limits of the “written material” law. His condoms bore images of politicos with satirical slogans about public issues. The condom featuring President Barack Obama said, “Hope is Not A Form of Protection,” while the Sarah Palin condom said, “When Abortion is Not An Option.”
City law states that the vendors need a license to sell items, unless the items fall within the written material exception, “which states it shall be unlawful for any individual to act as a general vendor without having first obtained a license … except that it shall be lawful for a general vendor who … sells … newspapers, periodicals, books, pamphlets and other similar written matter,” according to the First Amendment Center.
Turns out free enterprise rules supreme over something I’d do ANYTHING to keep from seeing on my condom wrapper.
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AHF Kicks the Wheels off Truvada with their “There is no magic pill campaign”
Oy, here we go:
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today unveiled a new national advertising campaign headlined, ‘There Is No Magic Pill,” an advocacy and awareness campaign to educate and prompt discussion among gay men and others regarding Gilead Sciences and its likely plans to seek Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use of its blockbuster AIDS drug Truvada as a form a ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis’ (PrEP) to prevent HIV transmission. Truvada, a drug compound that consists of Gilead’s drugs Viread (tenofovir DF) and Emtriva (emtricitabine), is currently FDA-approved for use as part of antiretroviral therapy combinations for individuals already living with HIV or AIDS. FDA-approval for pre-exposure use as a possible form of HIV prevention for those NOT infected with the virus would be a first for the FDA, and a move that AHF and other AIDS advocates believe would set a dangerous precedent.
Gilead’s likely pursuit of FDA-approval for expanding the use of its best selling $35 per day AIDS drug to include use as a form of HIV prevention comes following a recent and widely-reported study of 2,500 high risk gay men using Truvada which showed a 44% effectiveness rate in preventing HIV transmission.
They’ve also launched a website, complete with form letters to mail to Gilead denouncing Truvada and it’s effectiveness potential.
Here’s a better, and much more useful idea: how about we actually finish studying implementation models of Truvada before actually taking the microphone and pronouncing it a dismal failure? How about that?
Without a doubt, there is NO magic pill to prevent HIV exposure. The only sure-fire way? Abstinence. Condoms are great, and I have a drawer full of them. I give them out like party favours to any of my friends that need and I always will.
But they’re only any good when someone is educated enough to know NOT unrolling the damn thing is not an option. There is so much potential in developing a usable, sustainable implementation model with Truvada, it’s foolish, reckless and outright dangerous to not explore it’s potential. Why the AHF is hell bent for leather on making sure it’s defeated before it gets out of the starting blocks is beyond me.
I used to have a lot of respect for AHF, their work and their advocacy. This seemingly premature attack on a potential for lowering HIV infection rates, combined with their attack on anything involving the adult film industry leaves me wondering what the hell they’re doing at staff meetings when they decide their agenda. Surely, considering all the muscle and finances that they have, they can come up with something better and more beneficial to do with their time.
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