Although this is the final day to submit results of the Great Condom Rating Contest, the contest still lives on—in Georgia.

The Communicable Disease Branch of the Georgia State Department of Human Resources is using NIU Health Enhancement Services’ (HES) controversial condom rating survey to help spark disease awareness in Georgia.

NIU received a lot of attention after distributing 5,000 bags of condoms to students in an attempt to get student feedback on the brands of condoms with which they feel most comfortable. Each bag also contained an instruction sheet as well as an anonymous rating sheet.

Students were given until today to rate each condom on a one-to-10 scale on the basis of appearance, sensualness/comfort, smell, taste, lubrication and sense of security.

Despite opposition from some community and religious organizations, the survey also received support from many, including Archie Freeman, senior health educator for the Georgia State Department of Human Resources Communicable Disease Branch.

“I read about the condom rating survey in the CDC database and I thought that it would be interesting to try to duplicate this here in Atlanta,” Freeman said.

Freeman said they are using the survey in a pilot program which is being initiated in the Atlanta area to educate the African-American community of gay men. The focus is on this group in an attempt to control the number of AIDS cases within the group, he said.

“Black gay men are still on the increase as far as cases of AIDS, whereas white gay men have experienced a decrease,” Freeman said.

Freeman, however, said he does not expect as much controversy aimed at his state’s program as NIU received for its contest.

“These are consenting adults in adult forums,” he said. “There is a difference. We already know they are sexually active.”

Additionally, Freeman said the method of distribution will be different than the HES method.

“We are going to the community on their own turf,” he said. “We’re creating specific presentations on why men don’t use condoms, as well as primary AIDS information and risk reduction. We want to more or less reinforce those messages.”

Freeman said the purpose of the program is to give an incentive for using condoms and getting feedback.

“If they’ve had bad results with a condom, then they write them all off,” he said.

The program would inform individuals that not all condoms are the same, and if the individual is not satisfied with one brand, there are other options, he said.

“(The program) will also give us some information as to which (condoms) people prefer,” Freeman said. “The way we select a manufacturer is by bid, but indeed it may be that these are not the condoms people prefer so we need to find another way. It would be fruitless to pass out condoms that people don’t like and won’t use.”

HES Coordinator Michael Haines said he is pleased the survey is being considered seriously. Although the name The Great Condom Rating Contest might sound fun, the issue is a crucial one.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Haines said. “It shows people that are concerned that this isn’t a silly thing. It also shows that other institutions and the government are interested in saving lives.”