If you're ever in need of some protection, you don't have to hit up the nearest Walgreens. Just head down to the Memorial Union fountain and find secondary education senior Elise Iadevaia. She and other members of AIDS Hope participate in a weekly event known as "Condom Corner," where they hand out condoms on Thursdays and stress the importance of protected sex. SPM sat down with Iadevaia to talk about her experiences and find out what it's like being known as one of "the condom girls."
SPM: Tell me what you do at Condom Corner.
Iadevaia: We do pass out condoms, but we also have information regarding sexual health for those who need it. We have handouts on birth control, STIs and testing HIV. We even have information for those who choose not to have sex.
SPM: Where can we find you and your group?
Iadevaia: We are by the Memorial Union fountain every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
SPM: Do you ever have problems with people passing by the booth?
Iadevaia: Well, something that always happens that is kind of silly is when elementary schools take tours of campus, and we are outside. Obviously, our table is meant for college students. We have this one big poster with condoms pinned on the outside of it, and when the kids walk by, they start pointing at it. Their teachers start to look at us, and we try to shuffle people around to hide things. It's an embarrassing moment.
SPM: Do you ever get people asking you weird questions?
Iadevaia: People ask us all kinds of questions. I think people misunderstand us and think we're doctors sometimes. People ask really detailed questions about sex and specific situations they're in.
SPM: Does it ever make you uncomfortable?
Iadevaia: Not really. If you're going to sit there and talk openly about safer sex you have to be ready for anything. You just have to be accepting of everyone's questions, and we refer people a lot to doctors.
SPM: What do you think people should know about what you do?
Iadevaia: I think people see us and get the wrong idea. They think we're selling sex, but really we're just talking about all the different options. We not only give out condoms, but we give out information about abstinence and being faithful. So we do A, B and C. We're not just C.
SPM: Can anybody become a part of AIDS Hope and Condom Corner?
Iadevaia: We're always looking for more members. Right now we have one guy, so we're always looking for more gentlemen to join. People are always like, "Oh you guys are the condom girls." It's kind of like my claim to fame.
Reach the reporter at: jennifer.porto@asu.edu.