As a gay man living with HIV for many years, I feel the need to share the importance of condoms. I have had partners who were HIV negative and through consistent and correct use of condoms, we were able to prevent infection and also enjoy hot, safe, consensual sex.
Coming of age in the late 80's I grew up with condoms and safe sex. In today's age of "purity rings" and abstinence programs, it is more important than ever that people have information so they can make educated decisions about their sexual activity.
National Condom Week
February 14–21 is National Condom Week — a time to raise awareness about condom use, and to make sure people have all the facts about condoms.
Condoms 101
Condoms used consistently and correctly provide the best protection against sexually transmitted infections for sexually active individuals. They also protect against unintended pregnancy. Myths about condoms abound, so it’s important to get the facts.
Latex condoms have been scientifically proven to
* Reduce the risk of pregnancy. Condoms are an effective, inexpensive over-the-counter form of birth control.
* Reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. The condom is a highly effective barrier against HIV infection.
* Reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted infections. Condoms significantly reduce the risk of getting or passing many other sexually transmitted infections.
Celebrate National Condom Week by making safer sex a priority every time you have sex.What Is Safer Sex?
Safer sex is anything we do during sex play to reduce our risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection. Even though a lot of people say "safe sex" instead of "safer sex," there is no kind of skin-to-skin sex play with a partner that is totally risk-free. But being "safer" is something all of us can do.
These are the most important ways to practice safer sex:
* Understand and be honest about the risks we take.
* Keep our blood, pre-cum, semen, or vaginal fluids out of each other's bodies.
* Always use latex or female condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse.
* Don't have sex play when we have a sore caused by a sexually transmitted infection.
* Find ways to make safer sex as pleasurable as possible.
How Can I Lower My Risk Using Safer Sex?
One way to have safer sex is to only have one partner who has no sexually transmitted infections and no other partners than you.
But, this isn't always the safest kind of safer sex. That's because most people don't know when they have infections. They are very likely to pass them on without knowing it.
Another other reason is that some people aren't as honest as they should be. In fact, about 1 out of 3 people will say they don't have an infection when they know they do, just to have sex. So most of us have to find other ways to practice safer sex.
Another way to practice safer sex is to only have sex play that has no risk — or a lower risk — of passing STDs. This means no vaginal or anal intercourse. Many of us find that great sex is about a lot more than a penis going in a vagina or anus. It is about exploring the many other ways you and your partner can turn each other on. Not only is it a way to discover new sexual pleasures, it's also safer.
No-risk safer sex play includes
* masturbation
* mutual masturbation
* cybersex
* phone sex
* sharing fantasies
Low-risk safer sex play includes
* kissing
* fondling — manual stimulation of one another
* sexy massage
* body-to-body rubbing — frottage, "grinding," or "dry humping"
* oral sex (even safer with a condom or other barrier)
* playing with sex toys — alone or with a partner
The highest risk kinds of sex play are
* vaginal intercourse
* anal intercourse
Luckily, we can use condoms during vaginal and anal intercourse to make them safer.
This diary wishes to thank an Angry Black Bitch for reminding me that I need to do my part to raise awareness about condom use and the facts.