Rubber Lucky

“The industry is a jungle. Some [condom] makers have excellent labs, and others stagger along with broken-down machinery. Latex goes in one end, something else comes out the other—the buyer doesn’t know the difference.”—A British condom-quality consultant, South Africa’s Sunday Times, May 16, 1999

Harm’s Way

“The deputy director-general of health, Dr. Harm Pretorius, said, ‘There is no policy’ to inform the public. ‘We simply remove the defective condoms from the system.’” —South Africa’s strategy for recalling 40 million Kenzo brand condoms after tests showed that 1 in 4 were faulty. Only 4.7 million were actually netted. Sunday Times, May 16, 1999

Mommie Queerest

“My son Michael found out the truth—that he could walk away from homosexuality. But he found out too late. He has AIDS.”—Mother of “ex-gay” Michael Johnston in Mom, the first ad in the Truth in Love TV campaign launched by a coalition of 18 conservative groups on Mother’s Day, May 9, 1999

Responsible for What?

“Positive Steps program director Donald Price is a dedicated role model committed to re-establishing HIV positive individuals into society as responsible, productive citizens.”—Unimed Pharmaceuticals’ press release announcing the winners of its Striving to Thrive Award, April 19, 1999