So, as some you may or may not know, I am a safesite for the 2010 Great American Condom Campaign.  I went through a process and I was chosen along with about 1,000 other young adults.  The idea was to spread the word on your college campus about STD’s and condoms. Seeing’s how I attend a Catholic school, I read through the student handbook to make sure I would not be breaking any rules.  After reading the handbook, there was one rule in question, and that was the solicitation rule.  My college does not allow students to conduct business out of their rooms.  I assume that business means you are making a profit, or else it would have said “non-profit”, right? ANYWAYS…I decided it would be an AWESOME idea to go door to door within the residence halls and tell everyone that 1 out of 4 college students had an STD. Great idea right?

WElllllllll according to my university, I was WRONG! Since I am attending a Catholic institution, I am required to adapt to the Catholic traditions. BUT, no where in my brochure did it say I was required to adapt to Catholic traditions.  Now please do not misinterpret what I am saying.  I am in NO WAY shape or form hating on the Catholic tradition. There are just parts of it I do not understand. And as a human being in America I have a right to my own religion. Basically to sum up that story, I recieved a warning. So if I were to do it again, I would recieve some SERIOUS consequences *sigh*. I just wanted to educate my peers, can you blame me?

Yesterday, I was skimming through the newspaper (The Columbus Dispatch) and one story in particular caught my eye.  It was titled “Pope’s talk of condoms stires church debate”, you know I just had to read it.  Most people agreed and one woman said “it’s about time”.  Basically the whole condom use conversation because of the fight against AIDS. So the pope said that in certain cases it was ok to use condoms. Like for a male prostitute, it would be their moral responsibility.  More believers in the U.S. and South America “thought the pope’s comments marked a tentative step into a more modern stance in the global fight against AIDS”.

I agree, it is one’s moral responsibility to use a condom to help prevent AIDS.  But, I wish the pope would have said it was one’s moral responsibility to use a condom to prevent ALL STD’s.

I found this article interesting because just a few weeks ago I was being scolded about sharing condoms on a Catholic campus, and now even the pope is talking about condoms.  It is nice to see a step somewhat towards the direction I would LOVE to see the whole world doing.  And that is practicing safe sex.  People don’t realize that STD’s are out there and 80% of the time you are not even aware you have one. It is scarey, but a very important issue to be talked about. NO, I am not an STD expert, but among my peers I am a safe sex advocate and I will never stop talking about it. As long as ONE person listens, I’d say it’s worth the scolding any day 🙂

Big thanks to:

The Columbus Dispatch: www.dispatch.com

Amplify Your Voice:  www.amplifyyourvoice.org

The Great American Condom Campaign: www.amplifyyourvoice.org/gacc