A 59-Foot-Tall Hot Pink Condom Sculpture Was Installed in Sydney to Raise Awareness of HIV

The phallic installation has not been well received by everyone in Australia.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Sydney residents visiting Hyde Park this week were greeted by a sculpture that is just as phallic as the one they see everyday, but arguably more attractive and important. The 18-meter-tall Hyde Park Obelisk was covered with a pink condom by ACON, a health promotion organization in New South Wales, as a part of their "I'm On" campaign.

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"Safe sex ambassadors" were also on the ground handing out information and free condoms to pedestrians. Despite the positive message, not everyone is thrilled with the bright addition to the park. According to Australia's News.com.au, Christian Lobby director and outdoor advertising lobbyist Wendy Francis has called the condom "“disgusting” and “completely inappropriate.” Francis argues that the installation is inappropriate for children and that "parents do not want to be forced into a situation where they have to explain something that’s not relevant."

We're not sure how HIV education is irrelevant to children, but we won't waste words debating that point right now. Francis added, "It’s never appropriate to put sexually explicit advertising in public places. It’s an Obelisk and we’re turning it into a penis." It sounds like she has been talking to the person who slapped Paul McCarthy for installing a giant butt plug tree sculpture in Paris. 

[via Buzzfeed]

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