However I know alot of people have been following the debate so just wanted to make a suggestion...
Could we create a space where people can post opinions and suggestions still? After all this issue has been raised now and is an important one, would seem a shame for it to be stopped because some people haven't played nice.
I know the committee and some people must be sick of this issue and feel it has been exhausted. But perhaps the debate between nic, others and the committee got out of hand. Just because the thread had to be closed seems a shame. The original debate after all was one which we as a society should be looking to continue as long as there is need to.
...I think if we try again people could try be constructive and put our brains together, no personal attacks just working together?
This might not be perhaps the most constructive of comments, but after it came up in a chat, I have been wondering. How necessary, really, are dental dams? If going down was so dangerous, why aren't dams readily provided for free by sexual health groups, or available in mainstream club toilet vending machines? Why aren't heterosexual chappies told to use them at all opportunities? I'm not saying they're bad, as such - the safer the better, after all - just that I'm sure if there was a real danger of getting mouthrot, everyone would have been told about them in sex ed class, and the clinics would be giving them out for free.
In the meantime, could you not just give out flavoured condoms? You can chop those up into dams without much trouble.
Maybe people just shouldn't go down on random lasses they've never met. Just a suggestion...
On the other hand, it doesn't seem like charities are being particularly giving even with condoms atm so i do see the problem. However, if we need to fund it, we should be funding it. How about a fundraiser if the society are interested in that, so that it would cancel out the cost of paying?
Maybe the assembly and soc could work together? There are so many ways to make money, raffles, comps, walking tom around the union in a gimp mask... and then even if we had to pay, surely it wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't coming directly out of the socs budget.
p.s tim, my darling. i don't know if you are aware but there has been a substantial cut in sexual health funding in leeds currently. so it is really difficult to find normal condoms, let alone the flavoured ones. it can be done so i'm sure it will be but for the moment there appear to be some issues with it. Worry not, we'll sort something out.
1) fundraiser... cancels out buying them, art project. 1 box of 30 a term is sufficient enough.
2) the GUM (genito urinary medicine) clinic. They give them out FREE.
3) Write to various sexual health charities across the country, better still contact the CASH (community action sexual health) project in North East Derbyshire.... they've been giving away dental dams for years now and have supplied dams to us before. All for FREE.
4) LGBT Society & LGBT Assembly work together to draft a motion about sexual health provisions... i.e. The dams, and take it to union council... after all this union has loadsa sexual health campaigns and a welfare officer. Once is made union policy it lasts for 3years. Putting the case forward for the union to fund such provisions is easy enough. I'll quite happily give you all a crash course in writing motions for union council. I had alot of practice when I were in the hot seat.
Captain Tim wrote:
How necessary, really, are dental dams? If going down was so dangerous, why aren't dams readily provided for free by sexual health groups, or available in mainstream club toilet vending machines? Why aren't heterosexual chappies told to use them at all opportunities? I'm not saying they're bad, as such - the safer the better, after all - just that I'm sure if there was a real danger of getting mouthrot, everyone would have been told about them in sex ed class, and the clinics would be giving them out for free.
Lol, this is the same school sex ed which tells u that condoms stop u getting pregnant (nowt else), gets you to put one on a carrot & shows 2 ppl disappearing under a cover and rolling around before reappearing looking all red & awkward. Followed by the tampax lady coming 2 give you a talk bout the dreaded monthly's and force you to take a years supply of pads. God I hated them days.
Dams are pretty useful, people just overlook them alot as they are generally used for less 'risky' sexual practices. There are a few charities who insist on handing dams out and local hospital GUM clinics will also hand them out. Plus people don't really get educated about what can be passed on during oral sex, ok so its pretty safe but there are moments when dams should really be used.
Its not all about stopping the 'giver' from getting mouth rot... there are various things which can be passed on such as:
a) HIV & other blood born viruses - Passed on through contact with open cuts/sores around mouth, and down below area, vaginal fluids (carry viruses), menstrual blood (it does happen, red wings n all that).
b) Speaking of menstrual blood... it just keeps stuff abit cleaner and safer, especially if the flows been plugged so to speak.
c) Extra protection, or just a nice back up to have if there's warts involved.
d) Cold sores - these little buggers are linked to herpes, going down on someone with one of these can lead to that for whoever is receiving.
e) Gonnehrea (can't spell it but u know wot I mean) - u can get it in the throat & i think u can also pass it on from there.
Other than that, they are bluddy lovely to have if the person u pull (if it is a stranger) has a sub standard level of hygiene... better safe than sorry.
__________________
Nic // LGBT Society Events Officer 05/06 // LGBT Assembly Chair 05/06 - NUS LGBT Society of the year 2006(winners) //
LUU honarary life member - Awarded 2006 // LGBT Assembly Mentor 2006 -Onwards.
Contact me at nicturner_85@hotmail.com
I rang the Gum clinic today. Hope I wasn't treading on any toes but I was ringing them anyway lol. The lady on the phone was so lovely. She said that the use of dental dams is on the rise but all the clinics unfortunatly have to pay for every dam they recieve so any hope we have of getting a batch from them is unfortunatly quite unlikely.
However she did say, shoud an individual require dams you can go and ask at the reception at the one in the LGI...or make an appointment to save embarresment, it wont cost you anything.
She also suggested we contact the manufacturers directly. So I rang Passante condom people. They said we could quite potentially send a rep from Passante to do a talk sometime about Dams and condoms with the intention to raise awareness, they would be likely to give free samples too. I didn't take it any further as its not my place, number is on the website if the committee think its a good idea. Maybe this would be a good idea to combine this with an event/fundraiser or in a coffee hour or something?
That's ace. Someone actually finding out the truth rather than speculating.
How much demand from the LGBT is there for dental dams? Do we know? I wouldn't have thought the society would distribute over a pack a year?! (as long as they're being distributed for what they're actually intended, not assing about).
'Give a Dam' seems worth it just for the name!! and also, why not?
Thanks Nic for reminding us about the potential importance of dental dams...its true they haven't been at the centre of many sexual health campaigns especially in mainstream, non LGBT contexts and that shows simply that minority sexual practices are often ignored and stigmatised, rather than that they have less potential for transmission of disease. As Nic mentioned, chlamydia, gonorrohea, warts, herpes and others can be passed on through oral sex and so people should always have dams as an option, even if they have no intention of using one, so they can manage their own risks.
Perhaps the assembly could really take this on as a campaign? And if funding is an issue, maybe the assembly and society could pool some resources?
ALSO would just like to say: everyone has the right to go down on random lasses if they wish!! especially with the availability of provisions to make it safer! hope the assembly isn't going to promote abstinence as prevention of the spread of STDs...
Sorry for the armchair advice! all in good humour and hope its appreciated :)
This might not be perhaps the most constructive of comments, but after it came up in a chat, I have been wondering. How necessary, really, are dental dams? If going down was so dangerous, why aren't dams readily provided for free by sexual health groups, or available in mainstream club toilet vending machines? Why aren't heterosexual chappies told to use them at all opportunities? I'm not saying they're bad, as such - the safer the better, after all - just that I'm sure if there was a real danger of getting mouthrot, everyone would have been told about them in sex ed class, and the clinics would be giving them out for free.
In the meantime, could you not just give out flavoured condoms? You can chop those up into dams without much trouble.
As nic said you've got those disease risks...
I tend to think the reason they're over looked is that with sex ed and public health there's still so much stigma, ingrained heteroassumptiveness, and remnants of outdated ideoligy, that it takes ages for campaigns to be pushed out and for demand to get up-to-date with what's now proven as need, for many people's safe sex lives.
There's probably such a small demand for dental dams,
A: because so many people don't even know what one is, and...
B:because of The unvanquished old fashioned ignorant idea that there is only type of sex, and it's all about the penis when it comes heterosex... which it's evidently NOT. and...
C: because "Female sex with other women? what's that? i don't think we should be marketing to such a kerraayzeee idea"
Can anyone from the committee comment on how far you've got in getting some Dams? Not seen anyone in a while and I was just wondering.
Sally I agree, abstinence is not a relevent suggestion. After all its not realistic to get a potential shag to go down the Gum clinic and wait two weeks before you do the deeds is it? And just because you know someone doesn't mean they dont have an STI! I'll see you all at the PMS on thursday with your safe sex tool belts on!
Nic // LGBT Society Events Officer 05/06 // LGBT Assembly Chair 05/06 - NUS LGBT Society of the year 2006(winners) //
LUU honarary life member - Awarded 2006 // LGBT Assembly Mentor 2006 -Onwards.
Contact me at nicturner_85@hotmail.com
Of course people mess with Dams, they always will whether they have to pay for them or not, just as they do with condoms. This doesn't take away from the fact they are both crucial aids in practicing safe sex. If you read back through this thread, people are actually suggesting we find a way, working with the committee that Dam's can be made freely available for those want/need them for the correct purposes.
I think its a shame a committee member hasn't felt the need to comment on the suggestions made so far in this thread.
DAM-busters - just cos we r quite good at destroyin dental dams
And people say the committee has no reason to charge for dental dams...
Did I write that anywhere in this thread? NOPE.
Love how once again bitter people with nothing better to do with their time are making personal attacks. Grow up, this is an adult discussion, if you can't partake in it, #### off back to nursery.
I agree Ema, it is ridiculous that despite this been a perfectly reasonable discussion with loads of valid points and reasons for dams been put forward by members, the committee are just choosing to ignore this thread. Good committees listen to their members, take what the members are saying on board and actually run the society how the members want it running... at the end of the day its the members who make the society and its their welfare that matters.
__________________
Nic // LGBT Society Events Officer 05/06 // LGBT Assembly Chair 05/06 - NUS LGBT Society of the year 2006(winners) //
LUU honarary life member - Awarded 2006 // LGBT Assembly Mentor 2006 -Onwards.
Contact me at nicturner_85@hotmail.com
Please can a committee member comment before this gets out of hand and all the suggestions have to be deleted?
Please people give it a rest. Nic I do think if you respond like you have your going to get trapped in a bitchy cycle with anonymous posters. Even if thats not your intention it takes the focus away from the subject of the thread. Anon...I think its horrible that your quite obviously trying to provoke a response from Nic. There is no need for it. Nic has got something right, its like being back at nursery! Maybe if you still feel the need to have a go at each other you could do it somewhere else on the forum...plenty subjects are being discussed and really non of them are as important.
Tum de dum, Back to Dams, In the news and current affairs section on the forum I posted this link http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1263202EHwcRy7Q...this documentary really moved me and inspired me to think how I can be more actively involved in promoting safe sex amongst my peers. It's a documentary Stephen Fry made about HIV and Aids and the ways which they have touched his life as a middle aged Gay man. I recommend it to everyone. The spread of HIV is totally on the increase in the UK...this is as much in heterosexual couples as gay men.
The way we can help in the LGBT community is by encouraging people to find out their HIV status and use condoms and dental dams when having sex. We need to think about raising awareness about Dams and fighting the stigma attached to them.
I really want to maybe get some funding and launch a poster campaign across both uni's focusing on STI's and the use of Dam's...anyone interested in looking into this with me? It's something I've been thinking about for a while.
I intend to talk to Sophia as assembly chair to see how the LGBT might get involved in this but I thought this thread might be a good place to throw some ideas around.
P.S. Jenny Lee, what did you think of the Passante idea?
Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying the first couple of days of your "holidays". As you'll all be finding I'm sure, the end of semester is always a busy time with work on the up and the beginning of the hols isn't much different. Remember to have fun!
Back to topic, upon listening to everyone we did actually decide to change the dental dams to BOGOF as a move towards making them free but until after Xmas when we can actually run a potential fund raising event, please understand that we are listening to what you say and trying to find ways to make things happen. We're not just discussing these things between us either, we talk to members and union staff about it too and we really are trying to do the best for you guys.
Also, if things don't get done immediately, please don't assume we're ignoring you. Remember we're all students as well and we are genuinely trying to do the best we can with the time and resources we have... So watch this space.
Again, have a fun holiday everyone, hope the "real Santa" ie. not Hannah Bithel, brings you something nice for crimbo.
As nic said you've got those disease risks...
