I saw a recent Facebook status of a friend of mine that spoke of a teenaged boy who came knocking at her front door to visit with her teenaged daughter. She was amazed at the restraint her husband had at not knocking the young man to the curb for having the audacity to ask to spend time with his daughter. My daughter is only two and my son will be four this year but the thought of one day having to sit them down to have “the talk” terrifies me. In fact, my friends can attest to the fact that I have often said I want my son to be the first Baptist priest and my daughter to be the first Baptist nun on record. It could happen. According to a recent survey, parents are not very successful in talking with their teenaged children before their children engage in sex for the first time. In fact, the survey shows that virtually 50% of teenagers already had sex before their parents decided it was time to have “the talk” about birth control options and contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Even more alarming than that is that teenage boys are more likely than teenage girls to never have the conversation in the first place. Approximately 66% of surveyed boys stated that their parents did not discuss condom use with them before they had their first sexual encounter. In addition, 25% of parents and their teenaged daughters stated that resisting peer pressure to have sex was never discussed. Many parents will admit that these statistics come as no surprise. The survey was conducted through Virginia Commonwealth University, Children’s Hospital Boston and Rand Corporation.

In an interview last year with Mark Schuster, an author in this survey, stated that he was beginning the “Talking Parents, Healthy Teens” program. Schuster is the chief of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston and also one of the authors of “Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They’d Ask).” During lunch, he offers sessions to parents on how to approach the subject of sex with their own children. His book offers advice on how parents can teach their children to say no when they feel they are being pressured into sex. One fundamental lesson he stresses is that parents should have an open conversation with their children about sex so that their children will feel comfortable discussing this topic with them.

The survey interviewed 141 parents and their teenaged children who were between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time. The survey spanned one year. Results showed that over 50% of the teenagers had not had the “sex talk” about birth control and especially condom use before they began sexual activity. Girls talked to their parents about sex more than boys. Schuster has some basic advice about having the sex talk. He tells parents to set the open dialogue when children are young. When children start asking questions about sexuality, parents should answer the questions honestly and openly so that children learn early on that they can discuss anything with their parents. He also stresses not to do the sex talk in one session. Instead, he urges parents to talk to their children as issues spring up.

Where I work, I am required to build web pages that analyze cost and schedule data in order to help create accountability and structure in an industry that greatly needs it. I write code and pull data for the majority of my day…all while wearing disgustingly unfeminine steel-toed safety boots and safety glasses that fog up whenever the temperature in the room changes. I am nowhere near equipment that would take out one of my eyes (unless an overzealous co-worker accidentally threw a sharpened pencil my way) or anything heavy enough that would crush my feet (unless that same co-worker threw their computer monitor at me in a fit of frustration); however, because I am within a “reasonable” distance of people and machines that could go awry, I am required to wear this safety equipment or else the safety nazi of the office strolls by and says something snarky like “Wow…must have an extra pair of eyes at home that you DO care about…”
Some industries, like the one I work at, require an environment of safety. There are some industries, however, that do no. In fact, according to the AIDS Health Foundation, porn king Larry Flynt has harbored an unsafe environment because he does not require that the stars of his films utilize condoms during sex scenes putting these starts at major risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Recently, the foundation sent 100 DVDs of porn films produced by Flynt’s company to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health office that illustrate its point. Of all the sex scenes shown in the 100 films, only one scene has one of the actors using a condom. In the complaint, the foundation states that the films “clearly demonstrate workplace activities highly likely to spread bloodborne pathogens in the workplace.” The foundation wants there to be a requirement that all stars in the films be ordered to use condoms in every sex scene. In response to the request, the president of Larry Flynt Productions, Michael Klein, states that the demand is not a reasonable one because viewers of porn do not like to watch the actors using condoms. He states, “We won’t budge when it comes to condomless productions. That’s what the consumer wants, and we deliver it.”

Currently, federal law requires that porn stars all be HIV tested one month before production of a film. Klein stated that all porn actors commit to this standard and that none of the actors have been HIV-positive. Members of AHF stated that they targeted Flynt because of his stature in the porn film industry. Statistics from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health show that porn actors are 10 times more likely to contract an STD than anybody else in the general public. Between 2003 and 2007, there were over 2,000 caes of Chlamydia and close to 1,000 cases of gonorrhea amongst porn actors. Since 2004, there have been approximately 25 cases of actors contracting HIV.

Not sure if any of you Harry Potter fans have received the latest edition of the Muggle News but Harry Potter is in the midst of yet another lawsuit. No, J.D. Rowling is not being sued by anybody for stealing the boy wizard concept nor is Professor Snape being sued for defamation of character. In fact, at the center of the lawsuit is an innocent piece of latex named Harry Popper. You heard me right…Harry Popper. You see, Harry Popper is not Harry Potter’s evil twin, but rather an image on a Swiss-manufactured condom.

Since the inception of Harry Potter, merchandise for the lucrative franchise has sprung up everywhere you look. I will admit to having bought a package or two of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and forcing my best friend to knit me a Gryffindor-inspired maroon and gold scarf; however, Warner Brothers movie executives had no hand in the Swiss company’s (named Magic X), decision to manufacture those wizard-inspired condoms that featured an image of a condom sporting round glasses and a magic wand. Because of this, Warner Brothers is taking swift legal action against the company in what seems to be an obvious interpretation and misrepresentation of the boy wizard. Executives recently filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Magic X so that the company could not release these condoms before the next Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I) premieres on November 10th this year.

A Warner Brothers lawyer involved in the case told the Swiss newspaper Bote that “The image of my client is in danger. This is clearly a reference to the film and fictional character Harry Potter. Everyone who sees the condoms automatically thinks of Harry Potter” I doubt anybody would like to have their image being ripped open and throw across the room in a fit of passion. Attorneys for the Swiss company, on the other hand, have stated, “Our product has nothing to do with Harry Potter.” Must be a simple coincidence, eh? I mean, really, the name on the condom packaging is an entire TWO letters difference than Harry Potter’s name and the condom doesn’t even have a lightning-shaped scar on its forehead! On top of that, it is quite obvious that the condom is in the midst of performing an Avada Kedavra, or Killing Curse, spell and there is no way Harry Potter would be caught smiling (like that condom) while performing a curse like that. The Swiss lawyers have this case in the bag. Within the next few weeks, the Cantonal Court in Schwyz will determine whether or not they will place a ban on the condom’s wizard-inspired packaging.