When it comes to safe sex advice for lesbians, bisexuals, and other women who sleep with women, the medical professionals are usually at a loss for words. Doctors and nurses in this country have been programmed to throw a handful of condoms at anyone who appears to be even considering losing their V-card. Women are told from the time we are eleven or so (possibly never if you were stuck in one of those schools with an "abstinence only" program, thanks GWB) to make our male partners wrap it up. No glove, no love. Seems simple enough, and, thankfully, condoms protect women very faithfully against just about everything.
(Sidenote: Condoms don't prevent the transmission of HPV, y'know, that virus that causes cervical cancer and for which a vaccine exists that certain morons in this country want to ban because they think it will encourage young girls to have sex? Don't get me started.)
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But what if a woman was planning on having sex without-gasp-a penis? In the past when I have gone to the gyno, I often find myself in the unique position of first having to explain how lesbians have sex before asking if said techniques could catch me an STD. Awkward. It appears that birth control pills and rubbers are the only weapons in the average gynecologists arsenal when it comes to protecting women. If you are a female who has no use for either or those things, well, who are you, exactly?
Thankfully, New Zealand appears to be light-years ahead of the United States with respect to girl-on-girl safe sex education. Originally published in 2006 by Family Planning (NZ's version of Planned Parenthood) and distributed around the country's health clinics, Keeping It Safe, a comprehensive guide to lesbian sexual health, is now available online. From sex toys to homophobia to PAP smears to mental health, it provides "information to all women who have sex with other women, regardless of how you identify - lesbian, queer, bisexual, gay, straight, butch, femme, dyke, or nothing - or how that may change over time...It aims to help us make informed choices about our sexual practices, whoever they may be with."
All I can say is, it's about time. Ladies, DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE, it is essential reading. The manual can be found in PDF (no, that is not an STD) form at the bottom of the article. Thanks to autostraddle.com for finding the piece.
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