New Fucking York

New Yorkers are being encouraged to "get some" on Valentine's Day.

Street teams will be handing out the free condoms at busy hubs around the city tomorrow, including Times Square, Wall Street and near City Hall, which is to coincide with an ad campaign on television, radio and subways and buses.

"We want to give away as many condoms as people will use because we're trying to make New York City an even safer place to have sex, and this is a powerful way to do it," said Monica Sweeney, the Health Department's assistant commissioner for HIV prevention and control.

The city has made free condoms available for years, but last year revamped the package with a distinct look to encourage usage. The first design was a black wrapper stamped with the letters "NYC CONDOM" in the same font and bright colors used on city subway maps and signs. Before the condom wrapper was redesigned, the city typically gave away 1.5 million condoms monthly.

Since it was launched a last year, the Health Department has handed out more than 36 million condoms, or an average of 3 million each month. The free condom initiative is part of the city's effort to reduce rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. About 100,000 of New York's 8.2 million residents have HIV or AIDS, and many more are diagnosed each year.

The new design features the letters "NYC" in black, inside three adjoining white circles. Underneath the "NYC" is the word "CONDOM," with each letter in a different color. The wrapper is still black and the condom inside, from the Lifestyles brand, is the same. Yep, that distinct new look will push the useage.

Designer Yves Behar created the wrapper's new look to be friendly and unintimidating. Not like the odd feeling you get when a stranger on the streets of New York pushes a condom into your hand. The city said new condom dispensers, will be available for establishments that wish to distribute the condoms. Currently, about 900 establishments — some restaurants, bars and salons but mostly nonprofit groups — offer the condoms.