Spectrum holds Condom Olympics to educate on safe sex
Vivian Ho
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: News
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Winners of the blindfolded banana condom and edible underwear creation contests took home sex-toy prizes, but also helped draw attention to an epidemic that is increasingly forgotten by college students, said Spectrum Treasurer Raul Brens Jr., a College of Arts and Sciences senior.
"In younger demographics, HIV rates have gone up," Brens said. "People are more ignorant now because they don't have to deal with it. It's not as scary as the '80s."
Safe sex was a topic of candid discussion in the George Sherman Union Academy Room.
"If you don't know what this is about, this is about sex. Those unaccustomed to the word should cover their ears," said Emeri Burks, president of Spectrum, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered student group.
"I can think of a bunch of people who say, 'It just feels better without a condom.' For that one instance of pleasure, it's not worth it," said Burks, a CAS senior.
Open discussion along with VH1's AIDS: A Pop Culture History, a documentary shown at the beginning of the program, argued that younger generations are less aware and less afraid of AIDS.
"There was never a time when we were alive that there wasn't AIDS," said CAS sophomore Katie Uva. "It became background noise."
Because of this a whole generation is now at risk, said BU Office of Residence Life health and wellness educator Beth Grampetro.
Grampetro and ORL Director Tim Hegan led a discussion about safe-sex practices and dispelling myths. Plastic wrap is unsuitable for use as a dental dam because microscopic pores in the plastic do not prevent the spread of disease, they said.
Hegan said there are a lot of misconceptions about determining who has sexually transmitted diseases, and this results in people having unprotected sex.
"People always come to the conclusion, 'You can tell by looking at them,'" Hegan said. "You can't."
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