Using condoms properly and consistently lowers the risk of HIV and sexually infected infections. However, there are too many reasons why people do not use them, including cost and accessibility. The programme will also make condoms available through the medium through which most gay men meet others for sex - the Internet.
Based on the 2009 MSM Sex Survey, over 75 percent of gay men used the Internet to meet other men for sex in the past six months, by far the most popular "venue" (vs. 22 percent at saunas, 12 percent at public cruising places, etc). The same survey also revealed that only 54 percent of the respondents said they used always used condoms for anal sex with casual sex partners.
The Combat AIDS campaign allows a user to order a box of 30 condoms online which can be picked up or delivered. Each limited edition box contains 30 Combat AIDS condoms, 30 sachets of water-based lubricant and a safer sex leaflet containing information on using condoms properly.
Since its founding in 2001, Fridae has worked closely with a number of gay saunas and NGOs on HIV prevention and public education programmes. Combat AIDS is one of Fridae's safe sex initiatives which started in 2004 to address a common complaint that the cost of condoms was an impediment to saunas making condoms freely available.
Fridae then took the unusual step of manufacturing its own brand of condoms "Combat AIDS" – a pun on the fight against AIDS as well as the tools you use to fight it with – after successfully negotiating a deal with the manufacturer for "Ansell Lifestyles" condoms. By ordering direct from the manufacturer, Fridae could procure the condoms at bulk prices (the minimum order quantity is over 100,000 condoms per order), thus passing on the savings to the gay saunas and NGO's who buy them at close to cost.
"Fridae takes a very serious view to men's sexual health, and Combat Aids is a logical extension of how we empower our members to take personal responsibility." Says Dr Stuart Koe, CEO of Fridae and a long time AIDs activist since 1998. He also holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota specialising in HIV therapy, and is one of the members of the Working Committee on MSM and HIV/AIDS set up by Singapore's Ministry of Health, a Board member of Hong Kong's Aids Concern and founding Trustee of Singapore's Action for AIDS Endowment Fund.
"Every sexually-active male member of Fridae should get their hands on a box of Combat AIDS condoms. There is simply no excuse not to have them – condoms save lives, it's easy to order, they're delivered directly to your mailbox, and you never ever have to run out."
The free Combat AIDS condoms are only available for order by registered Fridae members (membership registration is free). Members are responsible for postage and handling charges if the condoms are delivered to them. Fridae members in Singapore have the additional option of picking up the condoms at Sportsmenasia or Fridae's office at no charge. An "Express Delivery" option is also available for same day emergency orders for those who have "spontaneous dates" and need an emergency supply of condoms and lube at short notice (this option is for Singapore addresses only). Members are limited to one order per day, while stocks last.
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Reader's Comments
"Protection against biological weapons of mass destruction".
Calling STD's a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction' unwittingly creates a fear and stigma against people who are living with an STD.
I can start imagining a young and sexually active gay man thinking twice about testing himself, cos he doesn't dare to test for fear that he may be labelled as a carrier of a WMD if he has an STI.
I can imagine gay men, after reading the tagline, being less keen to educate themselves about gay sexual health. Cos it's 'dirty', it's about STI's, it's evil, it's about WMD's.
A very poor choice of words.
I urge Fridae to reassess the campaign tagline.
I know you mean the virus and the not people living with it, but not everyone will see it this way, in fact most find it hard to seperate the two.
It is a fine balance to strike between promoting safer sex practices and increasing prejudice towards people living with HIV/AIDS. The tagline used has unfortunately caused a scar on an otherwise brilliant move......
There's only so much that Fridae can do to promote safe sex. Yes, people should be responsible of their own health and behaviour. Yes, people should be more reliant rather than wait for freebies. As long as the message of safe sex gets through the masses (and hopefully adhered to), half the battle has already been won.
It's a struggle to remind people 24/7 of the risks involved in unsafe sex. This effort by Fridae is appreciated. Especially for shy people or youths too embarrassed to buy condoms in public. Remember to check the expiry date before use.
Altho it was the findings of the survey that cost and availability were barriers to the use of condoms. I think you gotta accept that this is Asia and even gay men will say anything to cover the truth. Availability might be a problem in some isolated areas but my interpretation of availability means the word can be translated as "I'm too scared/ashamed/shy to buy my own condoms"
As far cost is concerned??... Come on darlings. If two horny young men cant pool their resources to by a 'pack of three' then there is something seriously wrong with the economy. Once again cost is used as an excuse to save face and cover the real issues
The real issue being the fantasy attitudes of Asian societies... 'which say you must not do anything that would make you an individual'
On the other side of the coin, this offer will be abused by many asians who believe that anything that is free means its 'free for all' ... That means they will abuse Fridae's generosity.. and probably end up selling the 'free' condoms on the black market
By all means give out free condoms, but do it like the rest of the world does. "In your face" is the term I think is applicable. Give out free condoms at every venue and event where gay men congregate. Fight to have free condoms readily available at every venue where M to M sex is likely to occur. Have your Fridae men hanging around public toilets if necessary giving out the goodies
But the bottom line is that Gay Asia has to confront the societies they live in and get them to accept condoms as has been done in the west. Giving away secret packs of condoms on an anonymous website is NOT the way to go...by doing that you are simply supporting the anally retentive attitudes too common in Asian society
Condoms are a part of life no matter what your sexual orientation and the sooner uptight Asia comes to accept that the better off everyone will be
yes in a perfect world there would be gay rights/equality, and there would be no wars nor wife abuse.
yawn.
but in a less than perfect world like this one, distributing condoms online helps. to confront and change the Asian culture is imho as good as, hmmm, promoting abstinence.
i applaud Fridae for this! awesome initiative. when they don't owe us anything.
Pretty crap to read that if you're positive already.
And besides, where's the "mass destruction"?? That in itself is misleading.
Anyway, still a great campaign...
Condom is a shield? A scaphander? Let's make love in scaphanders!
Is it "us" against "them"?
"Weapons of mass destruction" is a politically connotated expression.
I find this campaign line extremely bad taste.
Talking to a friend last night and reading some of the posts today, I do agree and find the tagline very insensitive towards people living with HIV.
Yes, we should promote safer sex but, at the same time, we should also continue to discourage and fight against discrimination and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.
I really hope Fridae would reconsider this campaign's tagline. Or perhaps demonstrate more sensitivity in future campaigns.
This tag line does not help HIV/AIDS positives facing the stigma of society. Perhaps Fridae could have thought up a better one?
Kudos on the movement though. It's a definite move towards better living standards. However, does Fridae and most people here think that the spread of HIV/AIDS is due to the absence of a supply of condoms.
I'll admit though, it'll be a good supply for those planning group sex gatherings.
I can even imagine the advert.
"Saturday Morning Orgy! Free condoms courtesy of Fridae! Cum one Cum all."
*rolls eyes and sighs*
"Protection from biological weapons of mass destruction" refers to the HIV virus and other biological disease agents (bacteria or viruses). That is what condoms protect you from, not people.
In fact, one way of looking at it is, with Combat Aids, you can have sex with anyone regardless of their HIV status, because using protection is what is needed to prevent HIV infection.
We have no intention of offending anyone, least of all PLHIV's. In fact, all our campaigns and projects are developed in consultation with PLHIV's which ensures that we not only remain sensitive to them, but also include a positive person's point of view. Fridae's commitment to PLHIV's also includes telling their stories (our Living with HIV series) and the developing upcoming Positive Voices support/networking site.
Safe sex is a shared responsibility - regardless of your HIV status. Everyone needs to use condoms because the real biological WMD's are out there - and you need to protect yourself from them, even if you're already HIV positive.
We are not asking you to avoid having sex, or to discriminate against people whom you think may have a disease - merely to protect yourself against whatever's out there.
Nevertheless, we thank you for your feedback, and you may be relieved to know this tagline is only being used for one round of marketing - we've got much more planned.
Thank you for the overwhelming support for the campaign - stocks are already running low and being reordered.
We're glad to know so many of you are playing safely!
well...hmmm...i fancy those packaging coz it looks nice and would treat it as a collectible instead.(just look at the postage costs!)
anyways, i'm sure that there are organizations giving out condoms to the "cum one cum all" population out there in Singapore...or is there not?
here in Malaysia, there is this outreach program by PT Foundation where we guys go out to pubs,saunas, discos,etc etc...(not orgy parties though,coz it's private and surely "they" do not want us) to hand out free condom packets to promote safe sex.
well, in any ways we do it...it is a cool thing to do and hopefully it is beneficial to all.
Ha! Nice one. Let's hope people slip 'em on.
How would ppl living with HIV feel? We are supposedly fighting against the stigma and not promoting it as a "biological weapon of mass destruction". In other words, are you trying to say that ppl living with HIV have already become another "weapon to mass destruction"? Please spare a thought for HIV+ ppl before doing a tagline like this. Thank you.
Curious to hear from other positive people what they actually think about this - right now it's just people who think we may be offended, but truth is, I'm not.
Fridae is essentially calling HIV a biological weapon. I cannot even begin to describe all the negative connotations that brings out in the average gay man's mind.
HIV is NOT a weapon. By calling HIV a weapon, Fridae is effectively labelling PLWHA's as enemies who use a weapon to cause damage.
Framing HIV in this light increases HIV stigma. It is counter productive towards proper education & understanding of the disease.
How can we progress with Positive Pride when Fridae, a website with such a wide audience, a website from which users in so many Asian countries depend on for guidance & information resource, comes up with such a hurtful and misguided slogan in its anti-HIV campaign?
Fridae Admin's comment #24 makes no effort at acknowledging that the slogan is poorly worded. Fridae Admin's comment #24 has made no official apology to the positive community.
Don't get me wrong. I believe Fridae's intentions are sincerely motivated in this campaign, but that doesn't mean it won't and can't go wrong. The success of any campaign, commercial or otherwise, can often hinge on the proper or improper use of just one word. And in this case, it is three words: Weapon + Mass + Destruction.
I would like to at least hear some acknowledgement from Fridae that they have made a misjudgement with the slogan's wording. And I look forward to a better thought-out second round of marketing.
To the people doing the good work at Fridae: Be human. Admit your mistakes. Learn from them. And improve.
The campaign slogan is inexcusable and clumsy and Fridae refuses to accept responsibility and apologise.
There is no excuse for this level of insensitivity when the health promotion skills required are readily available in Singapore to avoid such botch-ups. There is too much at stake here to just accept this lazy, ill-considered campaign in it's current form.
I'd like to know which PLHIV's Fridae actually consulted with and what kind of process was involved?
I'm highly skeptical any decent consultations "actually" took place but I invite Fridae to assure paying members who have been offended that these consultations had the sincere and widespread blessing of the PLHIV, HIV community groups and health promotion agencies concerned, both in Singapore and other countries it will be promoted in to it's viewers. The original promotional blurb talked about it being an initiative of Fridae.com if recall correctly.
I and other members who have expressed their outrage at such a hurtful and misguided slogan and wording (quote popix) would like a full retraction of this campaign message immediately and a full and public apology.
Yours sincerely,
Concerned member
any extremely XXX Large ones for huge guys like me?
seriously though, I think people that can't pay for their own condoms aren't mature or responsible enough to be having sex and you are making it too easy
sex has certain consequences and condoms won't solve that case of crabs you might get if you aren't careful
I can't stand fast food, so why cheapen the act of sex and make it too easy...
if the next guy who wants to fuck me pulls out one of those free condoms I won't let him fuck me, how tacky
I need him to at least get the durable ribbed expensive kind if he is gonna fuck this Mercedes Benz:)
No one will say it, but the rise in HIV must be attributed to governments covering the cost of anti-retrovirals - in both developed and developing nations. While I wouldn't advocate governments pulling out (a significant loss of life would occur, especially for those who couldn't afford the drugs. Also, pun intended), it would significantly stem the rise of HIV. We would all think twice before engaging in anal sex without a condom knowing full well the cost of our risky behaviour would bruise our pockets.
We sincerely apologise for any offence the marketing tagline may have caused.
We take a very serious view to this misjudgment. Much of what we do comes from a ground-up, community-driven approach, including the messaging and positioning of our HIV campaigns. Offending the community we want to speak to, and continue to speak for, is thus the last thing we intend.
The current banner ads have been taken down and will be replaced shortly.
For editorial purposes, this article and related images will remain (to give this discussion context) - it is important to keep a record of what happened, even if it went wrong.
Future marketing of Combat Aids will no longer carry the current tagline.
The inserts will continue to be used until replacements can be printed (they include condom use instructions on the back, which are a legal requirement as part of the packaging of condoms).
Thank you for your support for what we do, and keep the feedback coming.
Domacyan (#36), condoms work in the long term too, as long as local organisations and funding bodies keep up their efforts to sustain safe sex culture. In Thailand the infection rate soared among gay men after Thaksin cracked down on sex venues, leading them to take condoms and lube out of rooms where men have sex.
The same situation exists in Malaysia, where a packet of six condoms costs around RM12, compared to AU$12 for a packet of ONE HUNDRED condoms made in Malaysia. I had concerns about the strapline but Fridae is taking exactly the right initiative to increase uptake of condoms in its neighbourhood.
Regards
j.
Regards
j.
Regards
j.
Will have to wait for my bf to come back before I can try them though... 6 months to count down :-(
Not mad at the tagline at all.
AIDS kills, weapons kill, hence AIDS is a weapon?
If Bush could have thrown as much money on HIV research than he did on non-existing Irak WOMD... We might have a vaccine already!
HIV- people should protect themselves.
HIV+ people surely want to protect their partners, right?
So do all get yours, and better use them. The whole box. No need to wait for the 2013 expiration date. Lubricant goes until 2014... if you're still thirsty I guess :-)
J.
:(
Bruno
- Good to remind everyone AIDS is still around.
- Good to remind barebackers lying about their status that they are unforgiven-able stupid bastards -- knowingly spreading the disease.
... was the 2 most common feedback I got.
J.
@Denseaus: I'm a Singaporean student in UK, and while I think there are plus points to the western ways, it's abit feeble to completely assimilate and change just because. We are Asian, and we have important and defining values that at times clash with what we do. But like all organisms, we are changing and learning, and this very campaign is by no delusions, a sign of progression.
So while we take our baby steps, I would certainly appreciate a little patience and a spoonful of courtesy from Westerners like you. You may be more adept at being open about grabbing a fistful of condoms from a bowl, but evidently you still have to clock some time sitting down in a cave somewhere *decorated with free condoms* to work on some manners.
Wanting us to change now, just because it will make your existence a little bit more tolerable just makes you sound selfish, and frankly, a bit anal retentive yourself. I'm sure you'd prefer everyone to be just like you, but yeah, maybe there is a reason why that isnt so.
Unrelated, but I keep seeing this ad in London. I think its quite good.
http://tinypic.com/r/4s1dar/6
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