This tolerant Southern California town has voted to continue with a voluntary condom-giveaway program for its bars and nightclubs, flattening a proposal to make the program mandatory for allegedly high-risk customers.
The city council voted unanimously against the proposal, which also would have covered adult businesses, coffee houses, and nonprofits serving those most at risk of HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. In keeping the program voluntary, the council also agreed to buy 50,000 more condoms to distribute.
"Mandatory condom distribution does not adequately address the issue of safe sex," said Councilman Steve Martin. "A fish bowl of condoms just doesn't compare to aggressive street outreach and one-on-one education."
But some health advocates such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation spokesman Ged Kensela disagreed. "It's not an imposition to have a condom made available to you in a city whose principal economy is nightlife-driven," Kensela tells the Associated Press.
West Hollywood distributed 300,000 condoms to some thirty nightclubs last year. Owners put them voluntarily in containers posted near entrances.
