When the Fordham University Condom Fairy materializes to drop off latex at the Catholic university’s big events, it’s easy to jump to one conclusion: “culture war.” The Condom Fairy has been part of a series of incognito protests by a student group called SAGES, Students for Sex Equality Gender and Safety, against a religious administration they consider “sex negative.”Along with the condom drops (which flout Fordham’s rules against giving out contraception on campus), SAGES has anonymously live-tweeted meetings about sexual health on campus and set up a petition demanding co-ed dorms, free access to birth control, and a free-speech zone where student groups can share materials not preapproved by the administration.
The school responded, tweeting that it doesn’t prohibit birth control — just its distribution on campus. “Secret protests are fun, but at college, we debate ideas rather than litter about them,” retorted the school’s Rose Hill Student Life office, which invited SAGES to come forward for a discussion. “Instead of anonymity…try some Fordham values this Homecoming: open debate and respect for beliefs and traditions of others.”