A Brief History of Condoms in New York City
1971: The Health Department started distributing free male condoms, but distribution was limited to the city’s STD clinics.
1980s: With the onset of the HIV epidemic, condom distribution expanded to include HIV/AIDS organizations and organizations that provided services for injecting drug users.
1990s: The Health Department increased its free condom distribution area, expanded public outreach, and started distributing female condoms.
1998: The Health Department started distributing female condoms.
2005: The Health Department launched a condom website for easy access and ordering. Community service organizations started ordering condoms online and received free bulk shipments of male condoms. Average monthly condom distribution increased from 250,000 to 1.5 million.
2007: On Valentine’s Day, the agency set a national precedent with its NYC Condom campaign, a Lifestyles condom in a chic, branded Gotham wrapper. Within six months after the Valentine’s Day launch, the city’s average condom distribution increased to more than three million condoms a month (36 million a year).
2008: The renowned industrial designer Yves Béhar gave the NYC Condom a fresh new look. He also designed an elegant dispenser (PDF) that debuted in 200 pilot locations around the city. Look for it in bars, restaurants, community service agencies and our STD clinics-and get some!
2009: Distribution of the NYC Condom topped 40 million for the year. In response to results from a 2007-2008 condom-related survey, the Health Department started supplementing standard NYC Condoms with other types of male condoms in select locations.
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