Out in the Mountains (fitomprecedingpage) Putting the condom on should be seen as a part of sex, not an interruption. If condoms and lubricants are ready and within easy reach, then there isn't a need for someone to get up and go dig them out from the bottom of some drawer all the way across the room. . The act of rolling a condom down an erect penis can be an erotic, rather than a clinical, experience. Putting the condom on should involve both (or all, if there are more than two) partners. Play games with it. Let the receptive partner be the one who puts it on the active partner; talk dirty about it while putting it on; learn to unroll a condom with your mouth (watch the teeth, though); enjoy the experience of watching it being unrolled down your parmer's cock. Try different condoms - different brands really are different, and you or your partner may have a preference for one over another. Try different colors, thicknesses, ARANOF /\'l"l'() l{l\ll:'.‘t’.< /\‘I’ I../\ UPSON Dedicated to Serving the Needs of the Lesbian and Gay Community GENERAL CIVIL PRACTICE 7 Susan L. Aranoff Lisa A. Upson 13 STOWE STREET ZB, VVATERBURY, VERMONT 05676 802.144. l l 70 and styles. They now make condoms in both larger ("Magnum") and smaller ("Snugger") sizes, although standard size condoms do work for everyone when used correctly. (They really do stretch big enough for anyone; try blowing one up if you don't believe it!) Some people complain that a condom lessens the sensations when worn. A help- ful hint is to put a small amount of lubricant (that same water-based used for the outside of the condom) on the underside of the head of the penis. It significantly increases the sensitivity. There can also be at least one major advantage to wearing condoms. The com- bination of decreased sensitivity and the effect of the rubber ring at the base (which acts like a cockring) can prolong the erec- tion and make someone last longer without ejaculation, which is some people's idea of heaven. Practice makes perfect Sure, condoms can take some getting used to, but as with anything else new, prac- tice can go a long way toward overcoming initial problems. If you aren't used to condoms, try them first by yourself. Masturbating with con- doms will make you feel a lot more comfortable and conti- dent with them and give you a better sense of how they really feel when you put them on, how much lubricant you need, and exactly how they work. If possible, make sure that the first time you use them with a partner, that partner is some- one you already know well enough to laugh about mis- takes with rather than being made to feel self—conscious and silly. Like it or not, condoms are here to stay. We need to stop thinking of them as limit- ing our sexual options and recognize instead that it is still possible to have a full and en- joyable sex life, and to be crea- tive in doing so. UVM Tests Salk Vaccine for AIDS Ten Vermonters who are HIV positive will soon be involved in the testing of the Salk AIDS vaccine being conducted at the University of Ver- mont's Medical Center Hospital. The new vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk, who is best known for his discovery of the polio vaccine in 1954. Though the current vaccine will not serve as a cure for AIDS, Salk hopes that it will arrest the virus, thereby preventing those with HIV front developing symptoms associated with later stages of the infection. Initial screening of patients began in November at the Comprehensive Care Clinic of the UVM Hospital. The testing program is being directed by Dr. Christopher Grance of the Depart- ment of Infectious Diseases. Ten HIV positive patients will be selected, five of whom will receive the actual vaccine and five of whom will be given a placebo. Under the procedures of the study, neither the patients not the testers will know which people were given the vaccine and which were given the placebo until the end of the study. The ten patients will be asked to return for blood and skin testing 22 times over the course of the subsequent year in order to monitor the effects of the study. It is hoped that the vaccine, which is partially comprised of killed AIDS virus, will strengthen the immune sys- tems of the HIV positive volunteers and allow the production of antibodies capable of destroying infected T cells. Pre-testing of the vaccine has al- ready shown that its effects are at least not detrimental to the health of the re- cipients. This next stage will determine if the vaccine is effective in reversing the development of AIDS in affected people. The Medical Center Hospital at UVM is one of only eight sites chosen nationwide to participate in this phase of the testing.