Sex is a natural human desire and it is meant to be exciting, fun, and fulfilling. We encourage people to explore the bedroom to discover what they enjoy both psychologically and physically. How someone participates in the bedroom is an individuals’ choice and can be multi-dimensional based on an individual’s own aspirations and experiences. It’s important to understand that everyone is different and sex is meant to be exciting and pleasurable, but it does come with substantial risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STI’s). For this particular reason, a substantial segment of the sexually active community have in place some form of safer sex practices.
WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR BODY IS YOUR CHOICE.
Safer sex is about taking care of the health of yourself and your partner(s). It’s not only important to talk to your partner about what you enjoy, but also your concerns about your health and the possibility of contracting STI’s. Talking to your partner(s) about sex is healthy because your partner(s) may assume they are not at risk of getting an STI; but in reality, anyone of any gender, sexual orientation, race, class or occupation is at risks of contracting an STI.
FIGURE OUT WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNERS.
The most common and effective safer sex practice is to wear a condom whenever semen is exchanged between you and your partner(s). This practice not only lowers the risks of contracting viral infections like HIV and Syphilis, but also lowers risks of more common bacterial infections like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. Another safer sex practice is Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which lowers the risks of contracting HIV, but does not reduce the risks of contracting other STI’s. This practice is only a safer sex tool and not a replacement for condoms. As we mentioned earlier, safer sex depends on a persons’ individual risks. We encourage honest dialogues to sexual partner(s) about safer sex practices as a highly impactful tool of preventing STI’s.
Find what is right for you and your partner(s), but be responsible of your actions by protecting the community and your partner(s) health.