News Roundup: Condom Etiquette

We realize we’re a little late on this one, but one of our readers sent this article last week:

Carrying three or more condoms in Washington, D.C. isn’t a sign that you’re a responsible adult who has a big night ahead of you, instead it could mean you’re a prostitute. Police in D.C. are setting up “Prostitution Free Zones,” in which officers can arrest anyone they suspect of being a sex worker. And the police have been accused of using the number of condoms a person has in their possession as an indication of their intent to sell sex. While this law can be a nuisance to people who aren’t in the sex trade (condoms are often sold in packs of three), it really is dangerous to sex workers because it forces them to abandon safe sex practices, which puts their health and that of the public at risk. D.C. has HIV/AIDS rates greater than a severe epidemic. And this law will make matters worse because prostitutes, who are often controlled by pimps, will be further criminalized and won’t seek medical attention for fear of being arrested. Sadly, this practice has also been adopted by police in San Francisco and New York City.

We personally find this law appalling on moral grounds, it does bring up something else we’d like to mention: condom etiquette.

Nothing quite spoils the mood like a guy who reaches into his pocket three minutes into a heavy makeout sesh and says, “I have a condom.”

It makes the guy seem cocky and presumptuous. It makes the girl wonder how often he does this. And, above all, it makes the condom-carrier seem like an inexperience and unskilled lover, because he’s implying that he wants to hit a home run by making a u-turn at first base (thereby bypassing second and third).

If you’re going out with a girl who’s not your girlfriend, don’t carry around condoms. Period.

We certainly advocate using a condom every time you have sex. But most people (girls and guys) keep a stash in their “secret drawer” in the nightstand. While we like that people are taking the initiative when it comes to their reproductive health, you don’t have to carry around condoms to practice safe sex.

Once we hit a certain age (i.e., 20ish), the urge to have sex isn’t so overpowering that we can’t stop ourselves because no one has protection.

If your potential partner doesn’t have a condom in his/her drawer, you can wait until next time.

The only time you should have condoms in your pocket is when you’re on the prowl for a one-night stand.