How many intimate scenes have you seen where the characters actively discuss and practice safe sex? We would love to see more of this incorporated into scripted media.

Safer sex means protecting yourself and your partners from sexually transmitted infections. There are a lot of ways you can make sex safer!

One of the best ways to practice safer sex is by using a barrier (condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, and/or latex or nitrile gloves) every single time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex, or do anything that can pass sexual fluids (like sharing sex toys).

Barriers protect you and your partner from sexual fluids and some skin-to-skin contact, which can both spread STDs.

Getting tested for STDs regularly is also part of safer sex, even if you always use barriers like condoms and feel totally fine. Most people with STDs don’t have symptoms or know they’re infected, and they can easily pass the infection to their partners. So testing is the only way to know for sure whether or not someone has an STD.

To get a handle on more basic terminology and sex education make sure you turn on post notifications!