Do you want to have sex without contracting STIs or any other sex-related afflictions? You have three choices.

~Choice one:

Don’t have sex!  Ever! That means no oral, anal, digital, or any other kind! Do not even send naughty snaps; it is not worth the risk. Some say this option is not as much fun, but you do you.

~Choice two:

Have sex with one partner who you know is not infected, and who has no other sexual partners. Herpes is undetectable until an infected person displays physical symptoms, and may not present immediately after infection. Furthermore, it is possible to contract genital herpes from engaging in oral sex with a partner who has oral herpes.

~Choice three (recommended):

Use protection every damn time, regardless of whether you have one partner or multiple. Condoms and dental dams. Get ’em. Use ’em. Don’t re-use ’em!

 There is absolutely nothing wrong with having multiple sexual partners, provided it is safe and consensual. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a nasty pasty and you shouldn’t be friends with them. Don’t do it to yourself.

STIs

Rashes, pustules, strange fluids, sore nads, mysterious vaginal bleeding, unexplained lumps, pee-pain, and blisters—you can have all this and much more for the low price of not wrapping your bits up properly.

While in a lot of cases STIs are easily treated, only having to hang the out-of-order sign off your belt—combined with the feeling of passing an entire quarry of kidney stones every time you urinate—it is a situation best avoided.

Visit http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Health-conditions/Sexually-transmitted-infections to read up on the kinds of bad things that can happen to your soft bits if you’re careless.

The Curtin Health Service offers free STI checks from Building 109.

If you’re getting jiggy, you should have a few of these per year to protect yourself and your partners, as well as whenever you suspect you are experiencing STI symptoms. They’re free—just do it. You’ll thank us later.

When to get a sexual health check

As long as you are sexually active, it is important to pay the doctor a visit at least once every six months for sexual health checks. It is very normal to feel nervous about these check ups but remember it is perfectly okay as the doctors and nurses deal with this kind of stuff every day so they can easily make you feel comfortable.

A sexual health check should be taken seriously if you are scared that you might have STI or you have recently had unprotected sex which could be either vaginal, oral or anal sex. Other circumstances where one would need to have a check up is if :

• You or your partner are having sex with more than one partner
• You are about to start a new sexual relationship
• A condom breaks or falls off during a sexual intercourse.

In the sheets

People are into all kinds of different stuff, and as students here at Curtin you’re rubbing shoulders—and sometimes other bits—with a variety of people who are into a variety of different things. Remember: you aren’t the repository of all sexual wisdom, and what you think is “normal” is not a standard by which you should judge others. What others do, and who they do it with, is up to them—so long as it’s safe, consensual and legal.

Can’t say this enough, you don’t have the right to kink-shame, slut-shame, or partake in any other variety of shaming based on someone else’s sexual preferences. Be cool.

Consent

Consent is like borrowing a car…

If you ask someone to lend you their car, and they’re too drunk to make an informed decision, that doesn’t mean you can just take their car.

If you borrow someone’s car, that doesn’t mean your friends can automatically borrow the car as well.

If you steal a car from someone and they can’t prove it in court, you’re still a criminal.

Just because someone lent you their car in the past doesn’t mean they must lend you their car in the future—it’s their car.

If someone says they’ll lend you their car, but then changes their mind, they don’t have to give you their car. It’s their car to do with what they want.

If someone’s asleep they can’t say yes to lending you their car. They’re asleep. Don’t take their car.

If you aren’t sure if someone wants to lend you their car, don’t take their car.

This may be an analogy, but make no mistake, even though by “car” we mean “any kind of sexual act or physical contact,” if you take it without asking, you’re still a criminal.

If you would prefer not to involve police at this stage; contact the Sexual Assault Resource Centre 24-hour crisis line on (08) 9340 1828, or country free call on 1800 199 888 to access counselling and medical services. This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In an emergency please dial 000