UPDATE: San Francisco and New York are guilty of using condoms as evidence of illegal sex work, too! To tell ALL THREE cities not to treat carrying condoms like a crime, please sign the new petition here.

In D.C., possession of condoms can be used as a factor leading to the arrest of someone as a sex worker.

In effect, D.C. is discouraging safe sex.

The message the city is sending to sex workers is that practicing safe sex puts them at additional risk for arrest and prosecution. And D.C.'s HIV/AIDS rate already soars above that of the rest of the country. It is hard to imagine a more backwards public health policy or one that would do more to get sex workers not to use condoms.

The mayor of D.C. should step in and put an end to this ridiculous enforcement practice. No one should ever be punished for practicing safer sex. We should be doing everything we can to protect vulnerable populations and prevent the spread of disease.

Send a letter to Mayor Fenty and tell him to stop discouraging condom use in D.C. now!

image: Corey Ann