One Awkward Question Leads to Another

Last week I worked on a story involving a pretty unique way to combat the spread of HIV and other STDs. It is called the STFREE license which is, literally, a card whose holders have committed to regular STD testing and allows them to divulge the results of these tests to potential sex partners via a simple phone call. The information on the card includes a phone number and a personal, confidential ID number created by the holder. When the potential partner dials the phone number and enters the ID, a recording tells them the last time the holder was tested and the results of this test. The program does not guarantee that the cardholder is disease free, but its goal is to encourage regular testing and promote sexual responsibility.

At first glance, one may be dubious. I imagine the conversations may get awkward. “Hey babe, how about my place…here’s my STD Free Card, go check it out…” Or worse, in the heat of passion, one of the paramours pulls away saying, “Wait…I haven’t checked your STD Card yet…” But in reality, if one is considering a new sexual partner, the “have you been tested” conversation should be had, and the card could actually make the introduction and verification of that conversation a lot less awkward than say “Are you sure you’re tested? Are you lying to me?” Talk about a buzz killer!

The founder of the program, Eli Dancy, is a great guy and told me that he has over 15,000 cardholders participating in his program globally. Great start! But I wondered what it would take for that number to grow dramatically. The card is of course voluntary, and is only of real value to those who want to prove they are disease free. I suspect if the test comes back positive, the person would stop providing the card. Hopefully, they would also stop their risky behavior.

But, under what circumstances would it become compulsory to have a card? At first I couldn’t see one, but Eli did tell me that he is working with the adult film industry to provide cards to their “talent.” This struck me as the perfect place to begin. Whatever your opinion of those in the sex industry, they know that healthy talent is vital, and being in this type of program would make perfect sense. But, how about dating/escort services? Or singles clubs? Requiring these cards may help these establishments protect their patrons while maintaining their privacy. Hmm... All in all, I think the card is an interesting idea.

As I pondered all the possible uses for this card, the time came to send my story and video to the folks in Miami. The "safe sex license" of course, inspired great conversation within my team. One of the editors pointed out that the card has a magnetic strip on the back. I hadn’t noticed this and since it is a call-in service, the feature seems unnecessary, which lead him to ask, “So, where are you supposed to swipe that thing?”