Sydney is getting all hot and bothered this morning over a giant pink condom stuck on a monument. The curious erection is amusing onlookers in Hyde Park.
Standing at 18-metres tall, the condom will cover the heritage-listed Obelisk landmark for a week to raise awareness among gay men about how they can help in ending HIV transmission in New South Wales by 2020.
The decorated statue is right near the start of Oxford Street, where Sydney's iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held in March each year.
It was commissioned by ACON, a New South Wales agency for HIV prevention, and is the climax of the I'M ON safe sex education campaign the organisation has been running across the city for three weeks.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said in a statement condoms are central to the fight against HIV due to the fact they remain one of the most effective ways of preventing HIV transmission.
“The need for gay men to ‘stay safe’ by using condoms is at the core of NSW’s strategy for eliminating HIV transmission by the end of the decade,” Parkhill said. “We won’t be able to achieve this goal unless gay men use condoms when they’re having high-risk sex with casual partners, particularly in situations where a partner’s HIV status isn’t known – it’s that simple.”
He said the condom structure was specifically planned to attract attention. “We need to constantly find new ways to promote this message, especially in the lead up to World AIDS Day on December 1," Parkhill said.
So, I’m off to see the #GiantCondom in Sydney. Because, if there’s one thing as titillating as an inflatable butt plug, it’s a pink condom!
— Senthorun Raj (@senthorun) November 6, 2014
Sydney! pic.twitter.com/J4bov5KQhW
— Emily Wilson (@emilyhwilson) November 6, 2014
Now THIS got our attention- http://t.co/iaHRkJmcBL Always use protection... even if you're a monument pic.twitter.com/6zRlpQ7UG6
— 2DayFM Breakfast (@2dayFMbreakfast) November 6, 2014
LOOK: Sydney's Obelisk in Hyde Park has been covered with a big pink condom this morning. A giant erection! pic.twitter.com/0t7iuNj5QH
— SameSame.com.au (@samesame) November 6, 2014