A friend of a friend suggested that everyone should send the 64 Democratic Representatives who voted for the Stupak Amendment a coat hanger in protest. Not enough money to send 64? Send 26 to the Dems who voted for the Stupak Amendment and against healthcare reform. At the very least, Stupak himself should receive a coat hanger. I’ll post a tutorial on how to make your own mini coat hangers later today. It’s cheaper to make them than to buy real hangers and they fit in smaller envelopes, so shipping is cheaper, too. I suggest enclosing a short letter as well. This post seems like a great place to start for that.

Bart Stupak (MI-1)
2268 Rayburn House Office Building,
District of Columbia 20515-2201
Phone: (202) 225-4735

Here are the names and addresses of the 26 who voted “aye” on Stupak-Pitts and “nay” on healthcare reform as a whole. They’ve basically said to poor women, “We’re going to do our best to make sure you carry that pregnancy to term, but you can piss off if you want any help with the pregnancy costs or the kid’s medical bills if you keep it.” So much for being a party concerned with helping disadvantaged groups.

Jason Altmire (PA-4)
2110 McLean Street
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania 15001
Phone: (724) 378-0928

John Barrow (GA-12)
450 Mall Boulevard, Suite A
Savannah, Georgia 31406
Phone: (912) 354-7282

John Boccieri (OH-16)
4150 Belden Village Street, NW, #408
Canton, Ohio 44718
Phone: (330) 489-4414

Dan Boren (OK-2)
431 West Broadway
Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401
Phone: (918) 687-2533

Bobby Bright (AL-2)
188 North Foster Street, Suite 105
Dothan, Alabama 36303
Phone: (334) 794-9680

Ben Chandler (KY-6)
1010 Monarch Street, Suite 310
Lexington, Kentucky 40513
Phone: (859) 219-1366

Travis Childers (MS-1)
337A East Main Street
Tupelo, Mississippi 38804
Phone: (662) 841-8808

Artur Davis (AL-7)
2 20th Street, North, Suite 1130
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Phone: (205) 254-1960

Lincoln Davis (TN-4)
629 North Main Street
Jamestown, Tennessee 38556
Phone: (931) 879-2361

Barton Gordon (TN-6)
305 West Main Street
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130
Phone: (615) 896-1986

Parker Griffith (AL-5)
2101 Clinton Avenue West, Suite 302
Huntsville, Alabama 35805
Phone: (256) 551-0190

Tim Holden (PA-17)
1721 North Front Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17102-2391
Phone: (717) 234-5904

James Marshall (GA-8)
682 Cherry Street, Suite 300
Macon, Georgia 31201
Phone: (478) 464-0255

Jim Matheson (UT-2)
240 East Morris Avenue, #235
South Salt Lake, Utah 84115
Phone: (801) 486-1236

Mike McIntyre (NC-7)
301 Green Street, Room 218
Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301
Phone: (910) 323-0260

Charles Melancon (LA-3)
1201 South Purpera Avenue, Suite 601
Gonzales, Louisiana 70737
Phone: (225) 621-8490

Collin Peterson (MN-7)
714 Lake Avenue, #107
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota 56501
Phone: (218) 847-5056

Mike Ross (AR-4)
100 East 8th Avenue, Room 2521
Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601
Phone: (870) 536-3376

Heath Shuler (NC-11)
356 Biltmore Avenue, Suite 400
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
Phone: (828) 252-1651

Ike Skelton (MO-4)
514-B Northwest 7 Highway
Blue Springs, Missouri 64014
Phone: (816) 228-4242

John Tanner (TN-8)
P.O. Box 629
Union City, Tennessee 38281
Phone: (731) 885-7070

Gene Taylor (MS-4)
2424 14th Street
Gulfport, Mississippi 39501
Phone: (228) 864-7670

Harry Teague (NM-2)
200 East Broadway, Suite 200
Hobbs, New Mexico 88240
Phone: (575) 393-0510

And here are the other 38 who voted for Stupak-Pitts, but at least were in favor of healthcare reform as a whole. Note that there are only two women on this whole list. The rest of it is overwhelmingly white male Catholics or Southerners.

Joe Baca (CA-43)
201 North “E” Street, Suite 102
San Bernardino, California 92401
Phone: (909) 885-2222

Robert Berry (AR-1)
108 East Huntington Avenue
Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401
Phone: (870) 972-4600

Sanford Bishop (GA-2)
235 Roosevelt Avenue, Albany Towers, Suite 114
Albany, Georgia 31701
Phone: (229) 439-8067

Dennis Cardoza (CA-18)
2222 M Street, Suite 305
Merced, California 95340
Phone: (209) 383-4455

Christopher Carney (PA-10)
233 Northern Boulevard, Suite 4
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania 18411
Phone: (570) 585-9988

Jim Cooper (TN-5)
605 Church Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37219
Phone: (615) 736-5295

Jim Costa (CA-20)
855 M Street, Suite 940
Fresno, California 93721
Phone: (559) 495-1620

Jerry Costello (IL-12)
144 Lincoln Place Court, Suite 4
Belleville, Illinois 62221
Phone: (618) 233-8026

Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
615 East Houston Street, Suite 451
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Phone: (210) 271-2851

Kathleen Dahlkemper (PA-3)
208 East Bayfront Parkway, Suite 102
Erie, Pennsylvania 16507
Phone: (814) 456-2038

Joe Donnelly (IN-2)
207 West Colfax Avenue
South Bend, Indiana 46601-1601
Phone: (574) 288-2780

Michael Doyle (PA-14)
11 Duff Road
Penn Hills, Pennsylvania 15235
Phone: (412) 241-6055

Steve Driehaus (OH-1)
3003 Carew Tower, 441 Vine Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Phone: (513) 684-2723

Brad Ellsworth (IN-8)
101 NW Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Room 124
Evansville, Indiana 47708
Phone: (812) 465-6484

Bob Ethridge (NC-2)
333 Fayetteville Street, Suite 505
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Phone: (919) 829-9122

Baron Hill (IN-9)
279 Quartermaster Court
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130
Phone: (812) 288-3999

Paul Kanjorski (PA-11)
7 North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard, Room 400M
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18702
Phone: (570) 825-2200

Marcy Kaptur (OH-9)
One Maritime Plaza, 6th Floor
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Phone: (419) 259-7500

Dale Kildee (MI-5)
32 North Saginaw, #410
Flint, Michigan 48502
Phone: (810) 239-1437

James Langevin (RI-2)
300 Centerville Road, Suite 200 S
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
Phone: (401) 732-9400

Daniel Lipinski (IL-3)
6245 South Archer Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60638
Phone: (312) 886-0481

Stephen Lynch (MA-9)
88 Black Falcon Avenue, Suite 340
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
Phone: (617) 428-2000

Michael Michaud (ME-2)
6 State Street, Suite 101
Bangor, Maine 04401
Phone: (207) 942-6935

Alan Mollohan (WV-1)
48 Donley Street, Marina Tower, Suite 504
Morgantown, West Virginia 26507-0720
Phone: (304) 292-3019

John Murtha (PA-12)
647 Main Street, Suite 401
Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15901
Phone: (814) 535-2642

Richard Neal (MA-2)
300 State Street, Suite 200
Springfield, Massachusetts 01105
Phone: (413) 785-0325

James Oberstar (MN-8)
231 Federal Building
Duluth, Minnesota 55802
Phone: (218) 727-7474

David Obey (WI-7)
401 5th Street, Suite 406-A
Wausau, Wisconsin 54403
Phone: (715) 842-5606

Solomon Ortiz (TX-27)
3649 Leopard, #510
Corpus Christi, Texas 78408
Phone: (361) 883-5868

Thomas Perriello (VA-5)
308 Craghead Street, Suite 102
Danville, Virginia 24541
Phone: (434) 791-2596

Earl Pomeroy (ND)
220 East Rosser Avenue, Room 328, Federal Building
Bismarck, North Dakota 58501
Phone: (701) 224-0355

Nick Rahall (WV-3)
301 Prince Street
Beckley, West Virginia 25801
Phone: (304) 252-5000

Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
310 North Mesa, #400
El Paso, Texas 79901
Phone: (915) 534-4400

Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23)
1313 SE Military Drive, Suite 101
San Antonio, Texas 78214
Phone: (210) 922-1874

Timothy Ryan (OH-17)
241 West Federal Street
Youngstown, Ohio 44503
Phone: (330) 740-0193

John Salazar (CO-3)
225 North 5th Street, Suite 702
Grand Junction, Colorado 81501
Phone: (970) 245-7107

Victor Snyder (AR-2)
1501 North University, Suite 150
Little Rock, Arkansas 72207
Phone: (501) 324-5941

Zachary Space (OH-18)
137 East Iron Avenue
Dover, Ohio 44622
Phone: (330) 364-4300

John Spratt (SC-5)
201 East Main Street, Suite 305
Rock Hill, South Carolina 29730
Phone: (803) 327-1114

Charles Wilson (OH-6)
258 Front Street
Marietta, Ohio 45750-2908
Phone: (740) 376-0868

(Contact info from Congress.org)

Yesterday CWC, College Dems, and the Public Affairs Coordinator from Planned Parenthood teamed up to phonebank for health care reform. More specifically, to make sure comprehensive reproductive health care for women isn’t left out. Conservatives in Congress are – surprise, surprise – aiming for reduced abortion coverage. They want, at minimum, to make sure the public option doesn’t cover women needing abortions, but their goal is to require that no insurance plans are allowed to cover it. That’s right – women who already have abortion coverage could have it taken away.

And then there’s Senator Kyl from Arizona. He’s perfectly ok with 60% of insurance companies not providing maternity care because he “doesn’t need maternity care.” I don’t need prostate exams or testicular cancer coverage, either, Senator, but I’d definitely support improved access to them for the sake of the other half of the population. Some people are actually willing to spend a little more on insurance premiums or taxes to make sure the right to healthcare – a basic source of life, liberty, and happiness – is protected. It’s called compassion and generosity, Senator Kyl.

Fighting all of these anti-women attitudes with phonebanking is pretty important. We targeted reform and PP supporters whose congresspeople have a mixed record on supporting women’s health issues. Our aim? To make them stop sitting on the fence. To get them on our side. Women are more than half the population. Our health care is not a special interest issue. They need to see that.

I think we were pretty successful in that aim. We patched through a total of 81 people to their senator! Even better? The entire squad of volunteers across the country was able to patch a total of 169 people… So, of those 169 nearly half came from us. SDSU had more patch-throughs than any other affiliate phone banking yesterday We beat out Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Washington! Because there wasn’t enough proof that CWC at SDSU is awesome.

Phone banking happens every Tuesday from 12:30-3pm until real health care reform is passed, so let me know if you want to help out.

The school year’s officially started and CWC is getting into gear. So far, a few members took a roadtrip to Omaha to counter-protest on the same day Operation Rescue was protesting Dr. Carhart’s clinic (the wekkend before school started). The protest went really well, with pro-choice activists greatly outnumbering Operation Rescue members. I’ll write a separate post with more details and pictures later.

CWC also had our first event yesterday. There was a pretty good turnout for an event on Labor Day. We showed Iron Jawed Angels, a film about Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and the rest of the National Women’s Party’s fight to get the right to vote. It’s an excellent movie and if you haven’t seen it, you should. The filmmakers did take a few liberties (Like adding in a love interest for Alice Paul… who knows why. It’s a movie about feminists, geared toward feminist audiences. If there’s any audience that would generally be ok with the leading woman in a movie not needing a man in her life to romance her, it would be the feminist audience. Old habits die hard in Hollywood, too, I guess.), but high school history textbooks take liberties, too. In my high school, at least, the women’s suffrage movement wasn’t portrayed as that big of a struggle. Woodrow Wilson seemed like one of the good guys. Until I saw this movie, I was unaware of the unconstitutional arrests, hunger strikes, force-feedings, and all of the other horrible conditions these women had to go through to achieve something so many people take for granted today. It’s really eye-opening. And if you’re a student in Brookings, you can check it out at the Briggs Library for free!

The Cycle to Stop the Cycle is also coming up this weekend. It’s a fundraiser for the Brookings Domestic Abuse shelter and will be held September 12, 2009 at 9:00 am at the Brookings Chiropractic Center. There’s a discounted fee for SDSU students, but all of the proceeds go to the shelter so I do encourage you to give what you can afford. First through third place wins prizes! If you’re not riding but still want to help, you can volunteer to direct riders, help with registration, or be a cheerleader. You can also pledge donations by emailing cycletostopthecycle@brookings.net. Hope to see you there!

Today, my mother and I were watching TV. A commercial for Valtrex came on – the medication that helps prevent the spread of genital herpes – and the commercial said that one in five American adults has genital herpes. Both my mother and I commented on how surprisingly high that was, so I looked it up. The commercial was right – 22% of American adults have herpes simplex type 2 and 49% of women aged 15 to 39 will have genital herpes by 2025 if these trends continue. I told my mom what I’d found and she made a comment about how people need to stop sleeping around.

What she said next shocked me. She told me I needed to protect myself by using two condoms! I pointed out that doubling up causes increased friction and makes them more likely to tear. (I aced my women’s health class this semester and this was one of the topics!) Her response: “Sometimes. You just need to use lube.” All my life I’d known that I was an accidental pregnancy. Today I found out that I’m here because my mom thinks doubling up condoms provides better protection against STDs and pregnancy.

This is exactly why we need comprehensive sex ed; if we leave it to parents to teach their children about safer sex, many parents will refuse to tell their children about it at all and even the parents that do talk to their kids may end up spreading misinformation, like my mother just did. Thankfully, I’ve done my own research and I recognized it as misinformation. Adolescents that aren’t as informed might not be so lucky. 

With comprehensive sex ed in schools, there is a structured curriculum that is fact-based and provides accurate information about ways to protect oneself. Students with access to comprehensive sex ed will be able to evaluate what their parents, friends, and the media tell them. They will be better able to recognize myths for what they are – misinformation. Just because parents mean well does not mean they know the facts. Giving teens access to comprehensive sex ed on top of what their parents and friends tell them is the best way to reduce the growing STD rates and prevent unintended pregnancies.

The Office of Student Affairs is starting a campaign to promote student groups and events this fall; they’re trying to get new students involved around campus. Part of this campaign is encouraging campus groups to do an event early in the fall semester and they’ll provide free advertising. I have a few ideas and I’m waiting for a response from the person in charge of the campaign (they have a few ideas for events and the groups that do those events could get funding, so I want to see if they have anything interesting in mind). I want to see what you think would be a successful first event of the year. Thanks for your input!

This was posted on a blog written by one of my political science classmates. I couldn’t just leave it there without a response:

Why I Voted Democrat

I voted Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever want. I’ve decided to marry my Dog…

I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the
government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn’t…

I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I voted Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it….

I voted Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.

I voted Democrat because I’m way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.

I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius…

I voted Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of million of babies so long as we keep
all death row inmates alive…

I voted Democrat because I believe that businesses should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as
they see fit.

I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters…

I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my ass that it is unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.

My response:

Why I Voted Conservative

I voted Conservative because I love the fact that the government can decide who is and isn’t good enough to get married. I have of course decided that I am good enough…

I voted Conservative because I believe that I have an inherent right to ruin the environment by driving my giant truck when I am not hauling anything…

I voted Conservative because I believe the government deserves to try and waste more money that it already has in Iraq.

I voted Conservative because I believe that my freedom of speech is more important than others’ right to live as they are without harassment…

I voted Conservative because when we let fear control our foreign policy we do awesome things like torture people…

I voted Conservative because I inherently believe that if I am unarmed I might catch the “gay”…

I voted Conservative because I believe that I would rather rely on superstition than facts to protect me from scientifically proven threats to our world’s future…

I voted Conservative because I believe that an egg should have the same rights as a person but that it is o.k. to kill innocent people in order to have revenge on others

I voted Conservative because I believe corporations should have the right to discriminate and cause suffering in the name of profit…

I voted Conservative because I believe conservative judges are necessary in order to impose their religious purity on to the heathens…

I voted Conservative because my head is so firmly planted up my ass that it is unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.

As of an hour ago, I’ve given out 96% of my big box of 500 condoms. Between the Gay-Straight Alliance and Campus Women’s Coalition events, tabling in the Union, and handing them out to people I know, we’d gotten down to about 150. The latest batch of 130 or so were handed out tonight at The Condom War: Battle of the Sexes.

At an earlier CWC event, an RA from Binnewies Hall asked our group to put together a safe sex program. We had some brainstorming sessions and came up with this Battle of the Sexes concept. With help from the internet, Paul Joannides’ Guide to Getting it On, and New Dimensions in Women’s Health from Linda Lewis Alexander, Judith H. Larosa, Helaine Bader, and Susan Garfield, we came up with 10 truths and myths about condoms. During the event, teams had cards with T for true and F for false on them. After discussing the statement, they would decide if it was true or false and flash the card with their answer. Right answers got a point and even if both teams got it right, we would still expand on the statement to make sure they knew why they answered correctly. Some statements were followed by activities to illustrate our point and teams that participated got bonus points.

I wrote out a script for the event and bolded especially important points. There were five people from CWC reading questions (and my boyfriend/lovely assistant, Michael, was keeping score), so we each took two questions. Depending on how comfortable with the subject the person was, they could read the script directly or just speak freely as long as they covered the important bolded facts and statistics. Other CWC members were also free to interject thoughts and facts if someone missed something. Here’s the script for the event:

The Condom War: Battle of the Sexes

1. Male condoms are 98.7% effective in protecting against pregnancy and STIs when used correctly.

True. Condoms protect against pregnancy and STIs, including AIDS and herpes. They must be used perfectly – that means every single time you have sex, put on the right way, using enough lube, etc. 98.7% effectiveness means that there is a 1.3% chance a woman will become pregnant after using condoms perfectly for a year. Even with imperfect use, male condoms are 85% effective.

Bag & water demonstration

2. Pulling out is an effective alternative to condoms.

False. With typical use, withdrawing is only 73% effective in preventing pregnancy. It requires a lot of control, discipline, and commitment to pull out before ejaculating every time a couple has sex. Even if a man pulls out in time, pregnancy can still happen. Pre-ejaculate, or pre-cum, can pick up sperm left in the urethra from a previous ejaculation and cause pregnancy. A man may also just barely pull out in time and still ejaculate on or near the vagina, which can result in pregnancy, too. Withdrawal is not effective against STIs, either, because there is no barrier to prevent herpes sores from rubbing against vulnerable skin or to prevent fluids from transferring other STIs.

3. If you’d be extra screwed, you should double up your condoms.

False. Using two male condoms together or a male condom with a female condom will cause the condoms to rub against each other, creating friction which makes them much more likely to break than a single condom alone. This is true for lubed and un-lubed condoms. Backing up condoms with hormonal birth control is a much smarter option.

4. If the condom breaks, you don’t have any options.

False. You can use emergency contraception, which is effective for up to 120 hours or 5 days after having unprotected sex. Plan B, one of the more common forms of EC pills, reduces your risk of pregnancy by 89% if taken in 5 days. In other words, if 100 women have completely unprotected sex one time during the second or third week of their monthly menstrual cycle, 8 of them will get pregnant. If those same 100 women use Plan B, only one will get pregnant. The sooner you take it, the better, so it’s a good idea to keep some at home in case you need it. You can get EC at Student Health, Lewis, and Walmart in Brookings; it’s only $25 at Student Health. If you have a pregnancy scare, you should go to Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls or to your doctor, not a Crisis Pregnancy Center. CPCs are not medical facilities and often give false or misleading information.

5. Some penises are too large to fit into a regular condom.

False. Condoms are made to stretch. Even if you think you need a magnum, a regular condom will work if you’re desperate because any condom is better than no condom at all. If you have an average or small penis, don’t buy magnums. You’re not impressing anyone. Condoms that are too large are more likely to fall off, which decreases effectiveness. That said, there are small differences between brands and types of condoms and you should try different kinds because you might find that some feel better or are more comfortable than others.

Arm demonstration

6. All college students can afford condoms.

True. Student Heath sells condoms for 25 cents a piece. If you want more variety, you can buy them in bulk at Walmart. They have 24 and 36 packs for $10-$15, or about 40 cents a piece. You can also get free condoms from us tonight! 7. If you’re allergic to latex, you can’t use condoms. False. There are non-latex condoms available. Trojan’s Supra line and Durex’s Avanti line are both made with polyurethane. They’re slightly more expensive and a little less elastic than latex condoms, but they can be stored longer and they can be used with oil-based lube, unlike latex condoms, which break down when used with oil. People with latex allergies can also use female condoms, which are generally non-latex as well. Female condoms are larger and wider than male condoms and they are inserted into the vagina or anus up to eight hours before sex. Female condoms have a flexible ring on the closed end to keep them in place and they cover more skin than male condoms, so they’re actually slightly better for preventing STIs. They are 95% effective with perfect use and 73% effective with typical use. I do not recommend using lambskin condoms as an alternative to latex condoms. They are made out of lamb intestines and have pores that make them much less effective in preventing STIs and pregnancy.

8. Not liking how condoms feel is not a legitimate excuse for not practicing safe sex.

True. You might not like how they feel, but an STI or unplanned pregnancy will feel worse. If you don’t like how they feel, you should try a different brand or add a fun, tingly lube – just make sure the lube is silicone or water-based if you’re using latex condoms. You can even work on eroticizing condoms by having your partner put the condom on you or try masturbating with a condom on.

9. Alcohol enhances sex.

False. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, which makes it mentally easier for some people to have sex, but it does not make it better or physically easier. Alcohol and other drugs – even some prescription medications – can cause anorgasmia, or the inability to have an orgasm, in women and men. Alcohol can also make it difficult to get an erection. Drunk sex is more likely to be unsafe sex, too. Young adults are about 10% less likely to use condoms when they’re drinking. Even if they do use condoms, they’re more likely to make a mistake when putting them on, which is part of the reason condoms are 98.7% effective with perfect use and only 85% effective with typical use.

Bananas & condom demonstration

10. Abstinence is 100% effective.

True. Sort of. Like all birth control methods, abstinence is only truly effective when used perfectly, which means no vaginal, anal, oral, or outercourse. You might consider yourself technically abstinent or technically a virgin if you’re messing around but not having penis-in-vagina sex, but you’re still putting yourself at risk for STIs and pregnancy. Being truly abstinent requires a lot of sacrifice. Even if you’re committed to staying completely abstinent, you should still have a supply of condoms and make sure you have access to EC and BC. Even if you don’t use them yourself, one of your friends might have an emergency and you could help them out.

_________________________________________________________________________

 

The three demonstrations/activities definitely added to the program. The first bag & water demonstration involved a volunteer (who got a bonus point) putting a garbage bag on while water was squirted at them – the point being that if you use a barrier, you won’t get “wet,” i.e., infected with an STI or impregnated.

The second demonstration involved a condom being stretched over my arm (we practiced in an earlier CWC meeting and it was difficult, so we decided to do it on a CWC member, not a volunteer). The point was that a regular-sized condom is better than no condom, even if you regularly use Magnums. Unfortunately, the first condom broke during the program. I had a good save, though – I pointed out that penises don’t have nails or knuckles, so even if a man did have a fist-sized penis it wouldn’t be as difficult to get on as it was to get on my hand. I tried again with a second condom and that one went on well. Catherine then blew into the condom on my arm and it stretched even bigger. The guys were getting a bit rowdy and tried to convince me that my hand was turning blue and that it would be way too uncomfortable to have a regular condom on a large penis for ten minutes of sex. I wasn’t taking any of their crap, so I told them I’d leave it on for 10 minutes. I did. The RA even timed me. My hand was fine at the end, except for a small indent on my wrist. They pointed this out and I just said that none of them had penises the size of my wrist, so they had nothing to worry about. One other CWC member even interjected a comment about it being like a cock ring, which people buy for pleasure and firmer erections.

The third (and most popular according to the surveys) demonstration was a drunken condom race. We had two condoms, two bananas, and two volunteers. We tried to get ‘drunk goggles’ from the campus police department, but they’re loaning them to someone across the state, so we just had the volunteers spin in circles until they were dizzy. They then had to race to get condoms properly on the bananas and the first one done right got a bonus point. The women got it – the man put his on upside down and barely started unrolling it by the time the woman was done.

Overall, the event turned out really, really well. The women won and the men still did pretty well. We got people to come by offering free condoms, drinks, and pizza, and we entertained them enough to stay. The survey results showed that most of them enjoyed it and learned something. The Binnewies Residence Hall Director even told us it was a good program. Hopefully, next year we can get the Residence Hall Association to fund these programs campus-wide. If they do, we do have to change the wording on question number 8 as it confused people and we have to get the drunk goggles. We’re also considering adding an STI Transmission activity and making pamphlets for people to take home later.

Hopefully, by tomorrow I will get rid of the rest of the condoms. In the evening, the big Catholic group on campus is having a huge anti-premarital-sex program. I’m planning on attending because it should be hilarious and I can stand outside the door handing out condoms and telling people the work afterward. Thankfully, the event isn’t until 7:30 and the Day of Silence breaking of the silence ceremony is at 6. I encourage everyone remember the Day of Silence tomorrow!

Way to go Iowa!  If you haven’t heard by now, our neighbor to the east has become the 3rd state in the country to legalize same sex marriage and acknowledge that all citizens deserve the right to the pursuit of happiness.

HOWEVER,

Boo to you, ND for supporting discrimination because some crotchety folks in the legislature don’t want to give anyone the idea that they support the gay “lifestyle choice.” 

Excuse me, but isn’t religion the ultimate lifestyle choice?  You don’t see these people taking away civil protection for people making that lifestyle choice.   Wonder why.

Via KELO:

Every year 25 women in South Dakota are diagnosed with cervical cancer and sadly each year nine lose their battle.  Just two years ago, the state began vaccinating girls between the ages of 11 and 18 for free. Last year, the state modified it so that only 12-year old girls could get it free of charge.
…
Out of pocket, the vaccine costs about $130 per dose and it takes three for it to be effective.

“Most insurance plans cover childhood immunizations, but they don’t cover this. Or if they do cover it, it’s applied to their deductible,” (Dr. Maria)Bell said.
…

Eliminating the funding would have freed up nearly $300,000 for the state’s budget. But  Bell says it’s hard to put a price on preventing cancer, one that’s tied to the sexually transmitted disease HPV.

UGH.  So tired of girls’/women’s health taking the brunt.  Only 12 year olds?  What if they miss the memo (or lack thereof)?! This vaccine is something that can literally save womens’ lives, and its access was cut to 1/8 of its initial impact.

I do give Rounds props for passing legislation back in 2007 to provide it to girls 11-18 for free.  But as far as KELO suggesting that Rounds did girls some big favor by giving up a $300k, please.   That’s whopping 0.4% of the whole 2010 SD Health Budget.

Thank goodness Dr. Bell’s was included in this story.  As always, she reminds the world that womens’ health is important and we should treat it as such.

Over spring break, some of us ventured down to Omaha for UNO’s Regional “No Limits” Conference. This year’s topic was “Feminisms, Environments and New Media.” We heard presentations on everything from women in science fiction tv to mentorship programs designed for young girls to why america is not ready to be pro-life.
Alisha presented her research (top 1st picture) on women in Student Government (bottom 1st picture)

We also had the chance to incorporate some creativity in a collage workshop. (top 2nd)  Melissa shows hers off (bottom 2nd)

Alisha made a friend at Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine (top 3rd). 

All in all a great time.  We’ll be back next year!