Would You Like A Condom With That Loan, Sir?

If you live in Thailand and feel a little embarrassed about buying condoms, just take out a home loan.

Kasikorn Bank recently launched a “condoms for confidence” campaign at around 60 branches in Thailand, hoping free prophylactics will help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in the “generally conservative” country.

An unidentified bank spokesman explained the thinking behind “condoms for confidence” was the revival of a government awareness campaign that has “fizzled out”, leaving many Thai teenagers in the dark about sexual awareness.

Even though reported cases of HIV have dropped drastically in Thailand since the early 90’s, the health ministry is worried that a lack of education and a general embarrassment over buying condoms has increased the number of teenage patients.

“A Health Ministry-commissioned survey last year showed 48 percent of 5,712 male high school students used condoms” and “about 43 percent of 7,712 female high school students said their sex partners used condoms.”

It’s admirable that a bank has decided to teach its country’s youth about Sex Ed, but if we’re worried about embarrassment factors here, reaching into a bowl and grabbing a few condoms while your checks are being cashed isn’t the most covert thing a person can do.

I can’t even take those Hershey’s Kisses they leave out without feeling weird.