Superheroes to promote safe sex during Olympics, Thousands of “safe kits” going to visitors and locals
Jan 10th, 2010 | By Debbie Vitez | Section: CommunityThis article ran in the Hamilton Spectator, your comments invited below
link to story.
http://www.thespec.com:80/article/702079
The safe sex superhero and several other caped crusaders will hit the streets of Vancouver next month, when the city hosts the world for the 2010 Olympic Games.
Behind the marching bands, clowns, condoms on stilts and general three-ring circus is a serious message about harm reduction during the Olympic fun.
The organizers, a group called SafeGames 2010, will have outreach teams handing out “safe kits” to thousands of visitors and locals.
Those kits will include condoms, lubricants, lip balm, hand heaters, glow sticks, DVDs and information cards and referrals to local service providers and resources.
Luciano Colonna, of SafeGames, says one goal is to hand out 250,000 condoms to Games goers but he said the main goal is to enhance the effort of the community in hosting the games in a safe manner.
Colonna, who’s been to several Olympic Games, said it’s always a celebration, which can sometimes get out of hand.
“People are going to drink more alcohol than they usually do,” Colonna said.
“I think that when you travel, you’re on vacation, when you’re spending the kind of money that people spend when they attend the Olympics these are all considerations.”
Enter Methadone Man, Pink Storm, Epidemiology Guy and the Caped and Always-Protected Crusader.
A partnership of about 20 different community-based groups, governments and private businesses are supporting the efforts.
The City of Vancouver has contributed $20,000 to the overall cost and the Open Society Institute, a group that works towards safeguarding fundamental rights, has also contributed.
All the so-called superheroes hitting the streets will be volunteers, and most of them will choose their own costumes and their own aliases.
“There will be no end to the host of superheroes that will be there,” Colonna said with a chuckle.
“The volunteers have a lot of fun because its a way for them to participate in the Olympics and this is what they do, they get out and they act a little funny.”
The program is modelled after the Salt Lake City’s Safe Games 2002, where volunteers provided outreach and advocacy support to those visiting Salt Lake City during that city’s Winter Olympics.
The volunteers could have their work cut out for them.
At least one local sex shop is trying to lure Olympic visitors. Womyns’ Ware is offering a 10 per cent discount to all event ticket holders and a free sex-toy guide and a $5 coupon to all accredited media.
Free gifts are also being offered to athletes who want to drop by, including a free “slip kit” to registered lugers.
“We think that lube and tight-fitting bodysuits just go together naturally,” company spokeswoman Janna Sylvest said in an email.
“Both sex and sporting activities are excellent cardiovascular activities, and statistically I’ve read that sex is more often engaged in during the winter months, just like the luge.”
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What a load of of crap ola. The new condom guy has been asked to clean up his act from the MAY I GIVE YOU A HYPO - NEEDLE SO YOU CAN SHOOT UP FREE GUY to the HEY YOU BETTER WEAR THIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO EXPRESS YOUR LOVE FOR THAT SPECIAL OLYMPIAN HOOKER YOU JUST PICKED UP GUY.
Don’t get me started on the Olympics and VANOC which are crippling small business with it’s BULL CRAP street closures weeks before the games start and the event tickets that are scalped for several thousands above cost which VANOC says is OK as long as you pay us 10%..
The costs to build the facilities and show the world how one Billion plus dollars will just be spent on security while the poor people are shuffled off the streets and held in facility’s to make Vancouver Streets look picture perfect and safe as grammas rocker too the world.
We will be lucky to get through this without having to sell sell more BC BUD to finance the most expensive Olympic Games ever.
And that is the correct price $30.000 dollars for a good seat to the final hockey game which I will have to pass up so as I get eat and park in good old Vancouver B.C.. The B.C. stands for BRING CASH.
Let the Games Begin already!
And that is the correct price $30.000 dollars for a good seat to the final hockey game which I will have to pass up so as I will be able to eat and park in good old Vancouver B.C.. is what I meant to say. DOH!
That seems so unfair.. How do they justify such outlandish prices.?
If people are willing to pay it, they can charge it. And people will pay it.
Wait till the end of this olympic get together and see how much the total cost was to support such and outing.
We got new sky trains that go nowhere or cover already exsisting routes.
The new railcars for the air port run are coming to late.The sea to sky highway is reserved for buses and olympic vehicles only.
No person that lives on that stretch can use the only way to and from home untill after the games. They have to take a bus. The new bridge they build costs too much money to cross so nobody uses it.
The olympic village is millions over cost and will be nothing but over priced condos that wil sit empty like the 100s in the same area. The whole project was over run by fraud and theft by the trades and bailed out by the tax payers without any say!
The street people and shelters for these beings have been torn down to make the east side look more presentable to the world and any protests gets them thrown into a lock up till the games are over.
Say you had your last hundred bucks in your pocket and you had to spend it on someone you didn’t even know or care about because this athlete can ski down a hill faster than anybody else can. Thats how your left hanging here in good old BC. Thank God I saved a big Cardboard box to live in.
The Olympic Games were originally supposed to be the world show case for the best amateur athletes who wished to become professionals in their particular endeavours.
I would now rename it the ‘Limp Prick Games’ ; as it is now in the hands of people whose only agenda seems to be to enforce rules that give gold medals to anyone who can’t do anything, but are real good at it!
I have a friend in Victoria and she was telling me about all the crap that is going on out there. The clean up in downtown Vancouver..Making everything look pretty to the outside world..
All in the name of what ?.. and who gets to clean up the financial mess.. Good ole Tax Payer.. It’s terrible..
Good idea on the box.. lol
………..and on the national front Stephen Harper shuts down parliament until after the games are over; so we won’t be distracted from the “feel good about ourselves” hipe by less important issues like torture, coverup and violations of international law……….
Hey! When the government throws a 2BILLION dollar party it takes time for our government officials to get ready for the shin dig and a few weeks to sober up and pick the party leader that will take the fall for the cost over runs.