Condoms
And the Clients:

You will always meet clients who refuse to wear a condom. He/She may offer more $$, and tell you that they are clean & have regular check ups.. and have not been asked to use condoms before, they are most likely lying.

There are many reasons from the procreative urge, the greater pleasure of riding bare, to more sinister ploys like deliberately spreading hiv & other infections. There have been many cases in the news media of people being taken to court for deliberately spreading hiv, there are lots of sick people out there, so if you want to survive, play safe!.

Be very firm, no condom, no sex! Your life is worth far more than risking a few extra $$ that are likely offered.

If you are in a parlour and the manager does not support you, it can be difficult and you should move to a safer place and tell the other workers. This is less likely where managers are women.

If you are working on the street, make sure condom use is agreed before you go do the business.

Condoms can break for many reasons:

• perished as it had passed it's use by date
• perished from being kept in to hot a place
• being torn by fingernails, teeth & jewellery
• not enough lubrication.
• using the wrong lube
• So do not use:
  • petroleum jel
  • baby oil
  • suntan oils
  • butter & margarine
  • coconut butter
  • hand creams

The proper lubes to use are:

• water based lubes like
  • KY Gel
  • Sylke
  • Spermacides
  • Spit

Rolling the condom on

• One
  Use an unlubricated condom, unroll a little to loosen it up and roll it back up.
• Two
  With your mouth nearly shut, place the condom in front of your teeth and you lips over the condom, be sure it's set the right way so it will unroll the right way.
• Three
  Place a dab of spermacide on the tip. Hold the penis firmly in the palm of your hand and grasp the rim of the condom with the thumb and index finger of the same hand. Tighten you lips and push the rim down over the penis, using you lips and tongue to guide it in a firm but suggestive motion. The more playful, exciting & teasing, the more your client will likely enjoy. (We suggest you practice with a cucumber or other vege).

• One
  Place a dab of spermacide on the tip, if not using a lubricated condom. Then with both hands, stretch the condom and place it over the tip of the penis.
• Two
  Hold the condom and the penis tip with one hand and gently stretch the penis up and out.
• Three
  Use your other hand to roll the condom all the way down the shaft to the base of the penis, making sure not to get caught up in his pubic hair, and that there are no bubbles in the condom.
• Four
  Play with him as you roll the condom on, by continuing to hold the tip of the penis with one hand, stroke the shaft with the other. As he becomes erect, be sure that the condom fit snug, all the way to the base.
• Dental Dams can also be helpful.

There have been a lot of home remedies circulating around the industry on what to do when a condom breaks. The majority of these ideas are dangerous and will not prevent infection; in fact they may make the situation wo rs e. If a condom breaks, here is a checklist to go through to determine why.

• Was the condom past it's expiry date?
• Was the condom stored correctly in a cool dark place? - Often workers have condoms in their cars, the heat and sunlight deteriorate the rubber and can lead to breakages.
• Review the packet opening procedure.
• Remember if teeth were used or you have long fingernails it could damage the rubber.
• The lubricant can also be rubbed off so always add more, the same applies for doing 1/2 oral before sex.
• If you roll the condom down with your mouth always use your lips never your teeth.
• Sometimes a condom will break if the air isn't expelled from the teat while the condom is being rolled down.
• Check the lube you used was water based or the client's penis was cleaned of any massage oil as oil breaks down the rubber.
• Always watch clients: some are responsible for deliberately breaking condoms.
• If a client is taking a long time to come add extra lube, try changing position or offer something else to reduce the chance of breakage.
• If you are unlucky enough to have a condom break the risk of catching something is small.

Do not douche or use Dettol or other antiseptic liquids, this damages delicate skin and destroys the natural bacteria of the vagina. Douching can also do internal damage and force air and other material into the uterus. Wash your genitals with soapy water and if you want to you can insert a spermicidal foam such as Deflen into your vagina, this should be used in an emergency situation only. If you are worried make an appointment as soon as possible at the STD clinics.

NZPC doesn't advocate the use of non-oxynol-9 condoms as they can cause irritations, rashes and genital ulcers and it also decreases natural vaginal bacteria, giving rise to thrush. Recent studies also suggest that it is not particularly effective in preventing HIV transmission and may in fact contribute to increasing transmission.

Some workers have taken to using two condoms at once. This is problematic and can actually cause breakages or cause the condom to slip off. If you are worried, use a thicker condom or experiment with different ones, ask other workers what they use.

The breakage rate of condoms is extremely low if they are used correctly. Studies done on condom breakage have shown that the rate of breakage in commercial sex is actually lower than other forms of casual sex - which means that we know what we're doing!

Adapted for SIREN, from WORKING GIRL 131 Grey Street C 1989 St KILDA 3182 Prostitutes Collective of Victoria
Telephone (03) 534 8319