Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

The PLAY Campaign promotes safe sex on and around campus

Condoms

Sexual safety has been a heavily covered topic since the ‘80s, but even with government programs, community outcries, celebrity endorsements and organizations dedicated to raising awareness of the risks of unsafe sex, condom usage is not as widespread as it could be. Many people see condoms and other prophylactics as dirty, embarrassing and inconvenient — the PLAY Campaign is looking to change that mindset.

The “Please Look After Yourself” Campaign, in association with the UT Health Science Center and Texas Department of State Health Services, has served the San Antonio area for two years. The non-profit’s mission is to de-stigmatize condom usage while promoting safe, consensual and healthy sexual activity.

The PLAY Campaign’s target audience is college-age adults, which is the most at-risk age group for HIV infection in Texas. San Antonio specifically has some of the highest rates of HIV and STDs in Texas; Bexar County is ranked third in Texas for HIV infection.

To help prevent the spread of HIV and other STDs, the PLAY Campaign offers a large variety of free educational classes, programs and services. Some of these, such as Oh Snap! — a collaborative effort to prevent and reduce substance abuse and transmission of HIV among college-age minority young adults — can be found on UTSA’s campuses.

These classes can be arranged for groups of five or more students. The 90-minute classes focus on the importance of condom usage, the effect of substance abuse on condom usage and prevention of STD and HIV infection. They welcome fraternities, sororities, student organizations or just groups of students who want to promote sexual health to their peers.

The PLAY Campaign offers other services as well, such as connecting students to clinics that provide low cost or free STD testing services and mailing free condoms directly to a student’s home. However, one of their greatest services to the San Antonio community is the distribution of condoms to businesses throughout the city.

Currently, the PLAY Campaign distributes condoms and dental dams to 29 unconventional business locations, which include several tattoo parlors, the Block food truck and patio bar and a few local barbershops. They are looking to supply more local businesses to improve prophylactic availability in the community.

These services, as well as their home delivery service, are completely free for both businesses and individuals. Their only guideline is a limit of 100 condoms per order for an individual.

If you’re an individual who would like to gain more knowledge on how to keep yourself sexually healthy, you’re welcome to visit them at their office, or contact them through social media or email. They also welcome volunteers who can participate in their programs Play Patch and Play Peer Ally. For more information on how to get involved, contact the PLAY Campaign by their Facebook page or email.

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