Safer Sex Ball? What!?

Hey there, my numerous minions.

I am suffering with severe bowel peril at the moment, and can't really concentrate so please forgive me if some of my sentences don't read properly.

I just thought I'd write about the Safer Sex Ball, which happened last night. This morning, the facebook-savvy got their photos online, and they seemed to have a good time. And I'm not going to lie by saying that they didn't look good, because they did! I bet they were cold though, poor girls!

But, by Varg, I hope that I'm not the only one who has noticed a bit of a illogicality about this whole affair. Though it is very difficult to find online an explanation as to what the ball is actually about (neither the RAG site, Xmedia or the SSB website itself have easily accessible explanations) it is - ostensibly - to raise money and awareness for AIDs charities, and to prevent the spread of such diseases - AIDs and other STIs.

And, by Varg, I hope that I'm not the only one who fails to see the logic in the way RAG chooses to do this. The cause is very noble, I won't deny that. But RAG sees fit to do this by distributing free condoms and putting on an event which promotes casual sex, as long as it is 'safe'. I was sick to the teeth on Sunday in the Xpression FM studio when I read bits in Exepose glorifying this in relation to the SSB.

Now I'm not standing on a soapbox here preaching against casual sex, or even the use of contraception. I'm just flabbergasted at the sheer counterintuitivity of this whole affair. Last time I checked, a) condoms were not 100% effective at stopping the spread of STIs and b) some STIs such as HPV are transmittable through thigh-to-abdomen contact - not even through genitals or bodily fluids. I'm actually struggling to find the words to describe how stupid this is. RAG are claiming to be promoting the curtailing of STIs - yet they are doing so by encouraging people to put themselves in positions where they could contract them, and to use fallible means of prevention.

I feel I need to pause here for a few seconds to let the sheer idiocy sink in.

I feel so sorry for all the people who went to the SSB last night thinking that they were going to have the best night of their lives, but who wake up this morning with a quiet voice in the back of their heads telling them that they were used, that they deserve better.

Because they do!