Remember: always use protection no matter the gender or the body parts of the person you are having sex with.
There are many myths surrounding the sexual health of LGBTQ2S+ people: “No worries about pregnancy,” “All gay men have AIDS,” “Lesbians can’t get STDs,” or “Transgender people can’t have sex.” All of these are myths! LGBTQ2S+ youth have to be responsible about their sexual health just like their straight and cisgender peers.
LGBTQ2S+ Sexual Health Tips
- LGBTQ2S+ youth can get all the same STIs that their straight peers can get, so go check out that section.
- When having vagina-penis sex, anal-penis sex, or oral sex, still use condoms (order free condoms) and water-based lube.
- Always use water-based lube! In addition to helping you feel good, lube reduces injury and chaffing and prevents irritation, which lowers your risk of getting a STI. If you don’t have any lube, (don’t do this often, it can result in infections), you can use your own saliva, not your partner’s, in case of emergency to prevent tearing.
- Whenever you are touching another’s genitals or someone is touching yours, use latex or latex-free medical gloves to prevent the spread of skin-to-skin STIs such as HPV, herpes, genital warts, and crabs.
- When engaging in oral sex, use a condom for penile-oral sex and dental dams (order them from us) for vaginal-oral sex. Herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HPV, and HIV can all spread through oral sex. If you don’t have a dental dam, you can cut a condom in half and use that or use non-microwavable plastic food wrap. The microwavable kind has tiny holes that can let STDs still pass between partners.
- Whatever your gender identity – if you have a vagina, take care to prevent pregnancy. To read more about different prevention methods, check out our page on Prevention.
- Always use a condom when having anal sex. Because of this region’s sensitivity to injury, anal sex has the highest risk of transmitting STIs.
- If you share sex toys, always use a condom and water-based lube. STIs can be passed between people through sex toys. In addition to using a condom and lube, make sure to frequently clean and sterilize your sex toys. To sterilize, use a professional toy cleaner or boil the toy in a pot of water for 15 minutes. Don’t share toys that can’t be protected with a condom or sterilized between uses. Avoid plastic and rubber toys, which can keep bacteria or viruses in the pores of the material, and look for silicon toys instead.
