It gives a whole new meaning to “men’s and women’s freestyle.” Independent Journal Review notes that students at the University of Arizona have planned a school-wide “Condom Olympics.”
From the Daily Wildcat, the official UA student newspaper:
Students may be greeted by a 6-foot-tall condom on their way to class Wednesday.
Campus Health Service is hosting its annual Sexual Health Resource Fair, where students can learn about sexual health resources on campus and in the community. Students can also take a photo with Mr. Condom, a 6-foot-tall condom that will be handing out condoms on the UA Mall during the fair.
William Simmons, an associate professor who teaches sexual health and AIDS in the department of gender and women’s studies, had his students plan the Condom Olympics this year as a new addition to Sex Talk Week.
Simmons said he doesn’t like exams or term papers for his students and always tries to find an action learning assignment. This is the first year he is teaching the sex health class, so when he reached out to Campus Health, staff there welcomed the idea of Condom Olympics and suggested his students host it during the fair.
Simmons is quoted as saying, “Hopefully this will get students comfortable knowing what condoms are.”
Condoms, condoms. Let us think. We know we’ve heard that word before. Oh, yeah. Aren’t condoms apartment houses where the owners also share responsibility for common areas? Maybe we’re thinking of condos.
But what in the world is William Simmons thinking?
Not surprisingly, this event is tied into the Office of LGBTQ Affairs. These events, which are springing up in one form or another in campuses all across the country, seem to be more for shock value than anything else. Whether it is sculpting genitals from Play-doh or worskhops on how to have a better orgasm, the goal ultimately seems to be promoting awareness of sexuality as a first step toward acceptance of alternative lifestyles. Whatever happened to the claim that being gay is more than just sex?
