I'm sorry, before I get started, that title cracks me up. It really does. And I hope that those of you that came to my blog solely because the title caught your eye, aren't expecting some type of humor blog about some sex escapade that I had. One, you all KNOW I don't put my biz out like THAT and Two, if this isn't the kind of blog you were looking for, I still hope you stick around. Now, have a seat, turn off your cell phones please and listen up…

The following are some things that I have recently heard from a group of children ages 13 – 18. I had the high honor of speaking to these kids at a youth forum last night about HIV/AIDS, their thoughts and concerns and we kept it real. We talked about the things that they couldn't talk to their parents about. Some of these are funny, but when you get down to it, I was relieved to be there and dispel some of the myths that these children were walking around believing. Today I will be discussing the one highlighted in bold red text.

*If my man puts his condom in the freezer, it won't bust.*

*If you have HIV/AIDS your menstrual cycle stops.*

*You can't get HIV/AIDS from oral or anal sex*

*Bleach kills HIV/AIDS*

*If a man wears two condoms, he's twice as protected*

*A person with HIV/AIDS can no longer have sex*

*A person with HIV/AIDS can only have sex with another person who is HIV positive or has full blown AIDS.*

*Magic Johnson is cured from AIDS*

Now, before I go any further I need to point out that I am  NOT  on a conspiracy theory hunt, though I am aware of the hidden truths that are out there. I am not attempting to dispel the theories; however I'd appreciate any supporting factor to any government involvement regarding the virus be messaged to me privately as that angle of the topic tends to get people, including myself a little heated and digress from the main point that I am trying to make. Please respect my blog. Thank you.

Moving on..

Now, these children, as they are making these comments are straight-faced serious. I was excited (as ridiculous as some of these things are), that they were open enough to want to discuss this with a room full of people they didnt know AND their peers. I like to think that me dropping the H bomb on them, helped break the ice. (And no, I am NOT referring to Hydrogen).

However, as serious as they were, when I heard the first one, I had to laugh. Not out loud, but extremely quietly in my head.  So, let's clear the air for others out there that for some reason feel this to be true.

Here is an incident in which one seemingly educated person might find freezing a condom to be neccessary… it isn't, but read anyway…

I left my condoms in the car, the glove compartment when visiting my boyfriend in college up north. The weather was below freezing. I told him that we couldnt use the condoms but he said it was cool, that it was better to use them after freezing, just like batteries. I doubted him but couldn't find a reason to not side with his logic and we used them anyway. Have I put myself at risk?

*Sigh* Not only have you put yourself at risk, but going through with something in an act so risky in the first place against your better judgement is NOT something that I reccommend! Now, had they only been in the car for perhaps thirty to forty minutes, then I would say you were ok for all ingredients included in condoms to still work properly. Yes, condoms have ingredients sweetie.

There was then laughter and the rest of my answer was read from the health professional in the room who had access to the internet during question and answer time to quickly answer questions since there were so many. It reads below:

For longer-term condom storage, keep them in a regulated and constant environment. Ideally, condoms need to be kept in a cool, dry storage space, and away from direct sunlight, to prevent deterioration. Think of certain fruits and vegetables — once they are frozen or cooked, their texture and consistency are permanently changed. The same holds true for condoms. If they've been exposed to a very cold or a very hot climate long enough to freeze or heat up, then cut them in half (so that no one else can use them) and throw them away. Why? After spending a considerable amount of time in these temperature extremes, latex can become brittle, weakening it as a form of adequate protection against pregnancy and most sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). When warmed up or cooled down to room temperature, even if they look okay, these condoms will be less resilient and effective than before.

Iin addition to that, according to Durex.com, while they recommend to not STORE condoms in such extreme temperatures like the freezer, according to DUREX (not myself and not the health professional), as long as the item has been returned back to room temperature prior to use in a natural way (please don't heat them in the microwave), then all should be ok. I say, if you have a condom or even lubricant that has been purposely stored in an extreme temperature to please cut the condom in half and dispose of it. And also, the rumor that the health clinic gives out the cheap condoms is not true. They give out the ones that you SHOULD use. They are mandated by the CDC to give out the condoms that they do, which are usually Trojan, Durex, and Lifestyle. Also the female condom Avanti (they are sooo cool!!)

My personal answer to this, is don't trust it. I'm sorry. Plain and simple. And for those of you curious as to what kind of ingredients are in condoms…Cornstarch is dusted over the condom prior to packaging to keep it from sticking to itself, nonoxynol-9 is one of the spermicides used in condoms and most are made of latex. There are also lambskin (which I do NOT recommend unless your doctor has stated for you to do so because it has been proven that the HIV virus eats through lambskin in under 3 minutes) and then there are polyurethane condoms as well.

Any more questions, please feel free to leave them below in the condom section as I will return with more truths to our myths above. If there are more outrageous things you have heard about HIV/STDS/CONDOMS please message me as it is a joy to do this research to educate you all while educating myself. Just because I live with the virus doesn't mean I know everything about it!