Panties for protection

>> Sexologist uses unusual medium
to plug condom use

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Izabelle Fleury

Age: 25

Occupation: Sexologist

Bio: This sophisticated Rosemount resident was raised in Quebec City, and after spending two blissful post-CEGEP years skiing and working at a hotel in Banff, came to Montreal to study sexology at UQÀM. Upon graduating last April, Izabelle quickly landed a gig at l’Anonyme, a community organization probably best known for its travelling needle-exchange bus, roaming the city providing clean syringes to IV drug users in the struggle to reduce HIV infections among Montreal’s junkie population. She’s currently heading a project in St-Michel called “Hey fille, mets tes culottes!” where she and her posse are distributing slogan-laced panties to area girls in the hope to better educate them about safe sex practices.

Something which she feels is “really bad”: The fact that sex education is no longer mandatory in Quebec schools. “We know that they stopped it, if I’m not mistaken, in 1995, and statistics show that STD rates are considerably higher in Quebec now. I’m not saying this is the only reason STDs are up, but it’s a big part of it.”

The deal with her “Put your panties on” mission: “We’re giving panties away to girls in St-Michel—nice panties too, Brazilian-style with a fun slogan and a little pocket to keep condoms in. It gives us the opportunity to discuss sexuality with these girls, because in St-Michel, they really don’t talk about sexuality much and it can be very, very hard getting girls to speak openly with us. This is only a hypothesis, but I think much of it is cultural. In Haitian culture, the girls have fewer privileges and freedoms than their brothers and sex is really taboo for them. This is mainly a project to empower these girls. The hardest thing for many of them is negotiating condom use. They know they want to use them, they understand there is risk to unprotected sex, but negotiating them with a partner is a different story.”

Her panty slogans: “Terrain de jeu protégé” and “J’ai le gros bout du bâton.” “Because you have to get naked before you have sex, we’re hoping this will help them speak about protection with their guy when he’s confronted with these panties. Like, ‘Oh, and there’s a condom right there in the pocket too,’ you know?”

Something to consider before trolling St-Michel for teen sex action: “The rate of STDs there is almost 10 per cent higher than the rest of Montreal.”

Is she regularly floored so many kids are so ignorant of safe sex practices? “Oh yeah, always. Sometimes I have to explain what an erection is. I had one 15-year-old guy who didn’t understand how to put a condom on—he’d been trying to slip it over his testicles as well. That’s an extreme example, but there’s so much they don’t know about STDs, how you get them, how you get pregnant, menstruation, stuff like that, and yes, it still surprises me all the time.”

Childhood ambition: To become a rock star—“except I can’t sing.”

Last book read: Quelques adieux by Marie Laberge.

Musical preferences: Pascale Picard, Pink, “and I like country music a lot.”

Words of wisdom: “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.”

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