Safer Sex in the Dark

The Department of Health is always thinking: Health officials are reportedly asking vendors to submit bids to provide glow-in-the-dark condoms, amongst other "novelty condoms." As the Post points out, clearly the Health Department is thinking about potential blackouts and blackout sex. The Health Department distributes millions of condoms to individuals, health-care providers, and community groups; the Post also says "New York men will be able to don different colors for every holiday, including red and green for Christmas and blue for World AIDS Day." Indeed! Condomania, the first place Gothamist thinks of when we think novelty condoms, says they are bidding and explains, "There's a reason Baskin-Robbins sells 31 flavors — people like choice." Other interesting minutiae: Glow-in-the-dark condoms cost about $300 per case (no word on how many condoms per case), and the city would be buying eight cases at a time; in 2003, 2.6 million condoms were given out while in 2004, 5.8 million condoms were distributed.