After my Pilates class on March 16 at 10:50, I went to pick up the golf cart for the condom cab. As a Peer Health Educator, I volunteered to drive the vehicle around during Sex Week 2023. Bates Peer Health Educators are a group of students from various class years, interests and experiences. Our aim is to improve the health of ourselves, our peers, and the broader Bates community. 

I went to 96 Campus Avenue to pick up the poster and bowl of candy, condoms, dental dams, lube, and more. My friend Courtney Tally ‘23 joined me to pass them out and play music from our Sex Week playlist while I drove around campus. We drove  around campus at 11:00 a.m. and said “Happy Sex Week!” to fellow students we saw. 

Bates College President, Clayton Spencer, entered Commons and stopped by the peer health table. According to fellow educators, she asked about Sex Week activities after seeing the Condom Cab going around. We made sure to be outside Commons at 12:20 PM for the lunch rush, so that anyone who wanted to grab some condoms, candy, or hear about Sex Week could. 

When I told my friends that I was driving the condom cab, they asked me to throw condoms at them when I saw them. I saw a few, and they got so excited. Someone grabbed a condom while the song “Sex With Me” by Rihanna was playing and said, since this song was playing, they needed to grab a condom. 

A big request was for glow-in-the-dark condoms, which we tried to order. They are so popular that they are on backorder. While I was driving, there were laughs, smiles, and stares. Some people are uncomfortable about Sex Week, but it is an important week of learning. I love being a Peer Health Educator and informing my classmates about the importance of safe and consensual sex. I am so happy I got to drive the Condom Cab before I graduated.