By Morgan Kayser (News Editor) |
August 21, 2010, 2:25 pm
At pharmacies and grocery stores around the country, condoms are being held hostage. These stores, some motivated to stop theft, others motivated to keep “inappropriate” items out of the reach of younger customers, are locking up their condoms. In order to purchase a pack of condoms, customers must ask a pharmacist to unlock a case, get an individual box of condoms freed from its plastic prison by a clerk, or ask for condoms kept behind a counter, where they are stored with toxic cigarettes, cold medicines that can be used to make methamphetamines, and lighters.
The CVS on Tennessee St. (the closest pharmacy to FSU) uses the individual plastic prison approach. Customers must bring the case up to a cashier to have the condom box released before purchasing. Regardless of the reasons for purchasing a condom, let’s get two things straight: when used correctly condoms decrease the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy, and they prevent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. So why are these stores making it so hard for us to protect ourselves?
Locking a condom in a plastic box creates several problems. First, it extends the awkward period of time spent purchasing condoms (because we all know what we’d rather be doing instead of buying the condoms.) Second, it draws unwanted attention to the condom buyer. Third, it increases the stigmas put on premarital sex. All of these problems can lead to a decreased desire to buy, and therefore use, condoms.
Their Corporate Media and Public Relations Department is not very good at relating to the public (or answering phone calls, returning messages, and that type of thing). And although the CVS managers are unable to speak to media, I did find out their condom lockdown has been attributed to theft. Condoms are among the most stolen items at drugstores.
However, is the loss of a few dollar profit every once and a while really more important than having young people’s decision to engage in unprotected sex on your hands?
According to a survey conducted through FSU’s Thagard Student Health Center and the National College Health Association, 17-18 percent of students use condoms consistently for penal-vaginal intercourse. 15 percent never use condoms for penal-vaginal intercourse. Only .3 percent use condoms consistently for oral sex. And 48 percent never use condoms for oral sex.
Chlamydia, herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) are the STDs most frequently seen at Thagard, and chlamydia and gonorrhea are on the rise in Leon County. 60-80 percent of people have no symptoms for these diseases, and spread them unknowingly. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can also be passed through oral sex, and STDs, like HPV and herpes, can even be passed through skin-to-skin contact. Condom use is essential to stop the spread of STDs in our county, state and country.
Melvena Wilson, HIV Clinic Coordinator and Minority Health Educator at Thagard Student Health Center, encourages students to alleviate risks through condom use, STD testing, and monogamy.
“I recommend they use condoms every time for every sexual act, no matter how long they’ve been with their partner,” said Wilson. “You and your partner should get tested before having sex…and use condoms every time, start to finish…If you’re going to be sexually active, you need to be sexually responsible.”
But what if condoms are difficult to come by? What if being sexually responsible is really hard? In the instantaneous, pleasure-driven, Veruca Salt “I want it now” climate of college, driving to four places to get condoms is just unrealistic. If a person stops at CVS on the way home only to find locked up condoms, they may choose not to use protection instead of driving to another store, making the quickest and easiest decision. That quickest and easiest decision leaves them unprotected.
With these embarrassingly low condom use percentages, and STD rates consequently on the rise, why won’t CVS unlock their condoms?
Their refusal to free the latex may be a result of a lack of community uproar.
Wilson doesn’t seem to think locked up condoms affect condom use in any way. In fact, she thinks people who are too embarrassed to ask for condoms shouldn’t be having sex anyway.
“The embarrassment for asking for condoms will be the same whether you have to ask someone to unlock it or ask someone for it,” she said. “They need to get over the embarrassment of asking for condoms and asking for protection because they are going to be a lot more embarrassed if they have to come in here and ask for an HIV test…If they are old enough and mature enough to have sex, then they’re old enough to ask for condoms.”
Ideally, all sexually active people would be mature and responsible citizens dedicated to protecting themselves and others. But in reality, and on this campus, there are a lot of immature and irresponsible people having sex without protection, and despite their flaws, they deserve easier access to condoms.
Wilson then compared asking for condoms to asking for sinus medication. On one hand, I like this comparison. Condoms are normal and mundane, just like any other health product, and sex outside of marriage must be de-stigmatized in order to protect participants. However, as far as I know, if you don’t treat a sinus infection, you aren’t likely to die. If you don’t use condoms, you run a risk of catching diseases that can cause pain, infertility and death.
People seem to be writing off those embarrassed about buying protection as unworthy of our help. But the bottom line is that condoms are not sinus medication. Condoms are far more important, and need to be more accessible. Thagard, students and the community should be doing more to improve our abysmal condom use rates, even if it means taking a stand against a corporate power.
Thagard does participate and initiate a lot of safe-sex programming and aids in the de-stigmatization of sex. They also offer free male and female condoms, flavored condoms and lubrications in a wide variety of brands. In addition to protection, students can also get HIV and STD tests there, some of which are free. Obviously, the lack of condom use is not due to Thagard Health Center and particularly Melvena Wilson’s lack of effort. They work very hard.
Sophomore Psychology student Jessa Miller praised Thagard for their work in the residence halls, which she has seen working with University Housing as Vice President of Landis Hall. She likes that the safe sex education programming informs new students about the resources available in the health center. However, she thinks there are a few things that could be improved.
“The only thing I think they should do different is move the condoms from the third floor to the first floor.”
Miller did, however, find a problem with CVS’s condom policy.
“I think that it is very ignorant and not socially responsible of them, because as college students or as teenagers in general, a lot of people, especially when you get into younger kids who are having sex, are embarrassed about it,” she said. “It’s something you want to keep private. So if you force them to go behind the desk and ask someone for condoms, they’re a lot less likely to buy them.”
Miller said she would be less likely to purchase condoms if they were locked up, which shows the flaws in CVS’s judgment and Wilson’s ability to brush off their policy as something that doesn’t affect condom use. Not only is CVS losing customers and revenue, but they may also be a small part of FSU’s low percentage of consistent condom users.
“When I decide to engage in sexual relations, it’s my decision and it’s nothing that I want to make obvious to everyone to everyone standing behind me in line or everyone else in the store,” Miller said.
She wouldn’t buy condoms at CVS. Other condom buyers complain about having to wait for someone to unlock their condom case, losing privacy, having store employees give them judgmental looks, or coming at a time when the materials used to unlock condom cases are unavailable.
Alternative ways of buying condoms are becoming popular. Several Yeti writers admitted to only buying condoms from stores with self check-out lines. Many students, especially women, felt this buying strategy protected them from judgment. One student even admitted to buying condoms online. It’s cheap, easy, and carries no risk of embarrassment. Other students grab free condoms from places like Thagard or buy from stores like Walgreen’s that have company policies against locking up condoms.
“Our policy is to keep [condoms] available and unlocked,” said Carol Hively, Walgreen’s corporate spokesperson in a 2008 Creative Loafing article. “Our goal chainwide is for easy access and no hindrances for people wanting to buy condoms.”
It’s great that some students are taking the initiative to obtain condoms in alternative ways, and that a few companies are taking a stand. But what about the stores who aren’t and the students who saw CVS as the one stop they were making to buy condoms?
Right now, they’re unprotected.
Whatever CVS’ motivation to lock up condoms, be it theft or moral objection, they need to get over it. And students need to be more outraged. With condom usage only at 17-18 percent and much lower for oral sex, we should be doing more to help students procure easy access to condoms. If unlocking condoms at CVS gets one person using condoms consistently, it could save countless others by stopping the spread of disease. Safe sex education and free condoms at Thagard are a commendable start, but until the entire community de-stigmatizes sex and frees the condoms, the health of our students won’t be going anywhere.