Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - March 16, 2001
Liz Highleyman
Measure A would have required businesses that make "more than half of their revenue from the sale of alcohol for on-site consumption" to offer free condoms and safer sex educational materials. An estimated 150 bars, clubs, restaurants, and hotels would have been affected, and at least 500,000 condoms would have been distributed per year.
The city already has a voluntary condom distribution program targeting gay bars, cafes, and bookstores. However, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation spent $150,000 promoting the ballot measure because the voluntary program had "failed," according to AHF President Michael Weinstein. Said Weinstein, "There has been a frightening loss of vigilance in safer sex practices among younger gay men."
Weinstein attributed Measure A's defeat to a "scare campaign" and an "underlying prudishness," and said he believed opponents felt the measure would "put sexuality in people's faces." Some who opposed the ballot initiative claimed that the existing voluntary program was sufficient, and objected to the distribution of condoms in places patronized by families.
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