Q: I have recently been hired as a social worker at a large residence in the Bronx, and my first job assignment from our director is to find a way to help parents talk to their young teens (ages 13-16, approximately) about sex. I am a bit concerned, since I am the newest face here, having this as my first on-the-job assignment; I do not have a relationship with these residents (many of them are Catholic and new to this country), and I believe that this is a difficult platform on which to begin. Any suggestions for me?
Juliet In Pajamas,
Do two (heterosexual) people who are HIV+ have to use a condom if they are just having sex with each other and the girl is on birth control?
- Just Wondering
Just Wondering,
Yes, yes, absolutely yes :) Even if both partners are HIV+, they should always use protection during sex. It is possible to pass on different strains of HIV, allowing the virus to mutate and become much more difficult to treat. This may also make both partners more susceptible to opportunistic infections.
We usually recommend Inspiral condoms supplemented by Astroglide lubricant as the best protection against transmission of HIV. The InSpiral is a thicker condom that generates more sensation by the nature of it's shape; Astroglide is a water-based lubricant that helps to inhibit the transmission of HIV, just by the nature of it's molecular structure.
Juliet In Pajamas
Well if you've been paying attention you might have noticed that we shut down our store in NYC. It was a really hard decision. After all the store has been there for 16 years. We were a vital part of our neighborhood there. Our employees are valued members of the Condomania family and we tried without success to keep the store open but at the end we only had one rational choice and that was to shut the place down. The neighborhood is quickly gentrifying and the costs to keep the store open with our rising rent would have simply made it impossible to make any money or continue with our mission.
All of us here in Condomania Los Angeles, where we shut down our retail store in 2001 to focus on the internet, know how hard this has been for both our long time clients in NYC and our team in NYC.
Apparently a few blogs around NYC have taken notice of our store's passing. Back in October ShopHound noticed the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood and asked how long Condomania would be able to stay afloat. Then a few days ago ShopHound discovered we had in fact shut down our operations. No need to gloat ShopHound. But we know you do it from a place of affection when you write: [Condomania] had an audaciously novel concept with a genuinely admirable social purpose. Everybody should have a shame-free, user-friendly place to buy condoms, lube and various other accessories you might need in the bedroom. Thanks for the kind words!
UPDATE: It appears that TowelRoad: A Blog With Homosexual Tendencies, Racked - with photo confirmation of our empty store, Gawker - that's all you can do remainders?, Notes On Napkins, & Manhattan Chowder have all posted notes on our demise. So sad.
"A federal judge has once again overturned the controversial 1998 Child Online Protection Act. In an opinion handed down today, US district court Judge Lowell Reed Jr. ruled that COPA was unconstitutional and issued a permanent injunction against its enforcement."
Eric Bangaman Ars Technica
