Utah governor cancels HIV campaign and state-themed condoms for ‘sexual innuendo’
Utah’s governor has ordered the suspension of an HIV prevention campaign by the Department of Health because it used “sexual innuendo.”
“The Governor understands the importance of the Utah Department of Health conducting a campaign to educate Utahns about HIV prevention,” said a spokesperson for Gov. Gary Herbert, according to LGBTQ Nation. “He does not, however, approve the use of sexual innuendo as part of a taxpayer-funded campaign, and our office has asked the department to rework the campaign’s branding.”
Utah’s Department of Health also issued a statement about the campaign, according to LGBTQ Nation.
“The designs did not go through necessary approval channels and we have asked our partners to stop distributing them immediately,” the statement said. “We regret the lewd nature of the branding. We remain committed to running a campaign to help in the prevention of HIV and intend to do so in a manner that better respects taxpayer dollars, and our role as a government agency.”
The agency launched a campaign called “The H is for Human” and released a series of tongue-in-cheek, Utah-themed condoms to encourage people to learn more about safe sex methods, according to a press release.
Some of the condom slogans included “Greatest Sex on Earth” (parodying Utah’s “Greatest Snow on Earth”); “Enjoy Your Mountin’;” “Toss the Jello Salad;” “SL, UT” (for Salt Lake); and “Explore Utah’s Caves.”
The condoms were made in part to “address the stigma in a conservative state like Utah,” Erin Fratto from the UDOH Prevention Treatment and Care Program told McClatchy News. “It’s a sex positive way to get conversations started.”
The condom designs and euphemisms were created as a collaboration between UDOH and their advertising agency, Love Communications, Fratto said.
“There has to be a light shone on the topic,” Fratto continued. “We don’t really talk about sexual health and part of that is HIV. Sex is fun; we all have sex. We’re all here because of sex, but people don’t want to talk about the potential negative outcomes of sex.”
Along with the condoms, the campaign also included a recently launched site, HIVandMe.com, which has since been taken offline, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The website gave resources and information for people who are HIV positive, at risk for HIV, and those supporting others with the infection, according to the release.
Health departments, the Utah AIDS Foundation, bars, and other locations had planned to distribute around 100,000 condoms for free, according to Fox 13.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Utah governor cancels HIV campaign and state-themed condoms for ‘sexual innuendo’."