Sexuality, Television and Real People

“Condoms: Television’s Dirty Little Secret” (by Sharon Bernstein, Oct. 19), which was paired with Rosenberg’s column, held a special significance for me.

I recently produced and directed a public-service announcement for the Washington-based organization Zero Population Growth. I produced two versions: one that advocated use of condoms to help curb the baby boom and one that simply tried to show the relationship between births and the deterioration of our environment.

While I was prepared for the rejection of the former commercial, I didn’t expect the opposition I encountered when I tried to persuade the networks to run the second spot.

One network-owned station not only refuses to show condoms, it feels that any suggestion that our population is growing out of hand is too controversial.

As a native of Los Angeles, I find it especially ironic that the networks continually run commercials stressing the need to conserve water, yet refuse to advocate the stabilization of our burgeoning population, which continues to strain our water-supply system.

MARK VAN HORNE, Van Nuys