Safe Sex Campaign ask us to Do the Math
This post talks about sex and gay sex. If you find that offensive please read something else.
Who knew sex was as fun as a good old fashion math test! A new safe-sex campaign from the Canadian Health Initiative for Men (HIM) feels like an SAT test, a test I never took by the way, but still managed to get into ASU. (Figure that out!)
Ok I’ll be serious. I actually like how this health campaign is shifting the discussion away from the usual guilt paradigm and the “always use condoms when you have sex” advice to a more thoughtful approach about sexuality, relationships and health. Sex is diverse and not everyone has the same kind of sex. We all have to make individual safe sex choices and those choices are dependent on different factors. And not all sex has the same kinds of risks. That’s important to understand.
The HIM project coordinator, Jody Jollimore, said that the campaign was originally going to be a condom campaign but that the idea shifted and became more about risk.
The ads feature 8 different scenarios ranging from not-so-risky to risky sexual behavior (risky meaning more likely to contract HIV and other STDs) and asks the viewer to think about his own individual situation and behaviors. It feels like a major change in the approach to safe sex education.
And yet I have my concerns. Is a “one size fits all” message about sex and condom use still more effective? Should the message be, “always use condoms no matter what”? Or is trusting people to make their own decisions about sex and their health more responsible and effective in combating STDs? Should the message be, “it’s up to you to use condoms or not, but you must know what the risks are”?
Check out the Do the Math Campaign. (It’s probably not work computer appropriate.)
Here is a sample. I cropped out the naked butts.
