icanstandforsomething:

April is STD Awareness Month.

Share this post to raise awareness. 

By the age of 25, half of all sexually active people will have contracted at least one STD. Because most of these people are unaware of their disease status, they may continue to spread STDs to others by having unprotected sex. This includes HIV. 

Planned Parenthood and other clinics may provide testing services at little or no cost to those who would otherwise not be able to afford these services. Testing may be as easy as providing a urine sample or having a blood test. 

For more information: 

http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/gyt

http://www.plannedparenthood.org 

icanstandforsomething:

Safe, protected sex helps prevent the transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases. Safe sex also helps prevent unwanted pregnancies. 

-

Teenagers are going to continue having sex, no matter how much abstinence-only education they get. Let’s keep them informed about their options, starting with an emphasis on safe, protected sex to prevent unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of STIs. And let’s give them alternative options for more “wholesome” activities by promoting after-school programs, maintaining art programs at schools, and getting them interested in and excited about what else makes them special individuals. 

http://www.plannedparenthood.org 

transfeminism:

Safe Poz Love: Count HIV-Positive Women in on Valentine’s Day

Oakland, Calif. — Showing your love for women living with HIV means supporting our right to our sexuality. This is Valentine’s Day, Count HIV+ Women In! All HIV+ women, including trans women, have the right to enjoyable, hot and safe sex lives, female-controlled methods to prevent transmission, safety to choose when and how to disclose to partners and relationships free from violence.

U.S. Positive Women’s Network, a project of WORLD, celebrates Valentine’s Day as a day to show your love for HIV+ women upholding our rights to safe and satisfying sexual lives.

Current shifts in HIV prevention and care, the War on Women, and HIV criminalization laws threaten HIV+ women’s ability to control our own bodies and sexuality. For example, 36 states and 2 U.S. territories have HIV-specific criminal statutes in which HIV+ people have been arrested and/or prosecuted for consensual sex, biting, and spitting. These laws and practices violate our rights by unfairly policing our bodies and our sexuality, preventing disclosure for fear of persecution, and preventing people from getting tested.Ending violence against women is critical to eliminating HIV transmission. “If you are worried about your safety, you are NOT having conversations about safer sex practices,” says PWNer Kat Griffith in Peoria, Illinois. “Women’s lives are complex, and the links between violence and HIV transmission run deep […] this link can inform our research and prevention messages.”

Trans women frequently cannot depend on the law to protect them from violence or to ensure access to culturally appropriate services. “Just because trans women don’t fit into culturally predefined standards for male or female expression or behavior, doesn’t mean that we lose the right to have an independent sexual identity. […] [trans women] have the right to that individuality, just as we have a right to the air which fills our lungs,” states PWNer Dee Borrego from Boston, Massachusetts.

Show your love for PWN this Valentine’s Day by participating in our Safe Poz Love telebriefing on 2/14 from 9a-10:30a Pacific, reading our blogs, and using our talking points for your advocacy. Sign our Count Us In! petition. Follow and use the hashtags #safepozlove and #pwnusa to learn how you can support the rights of HIV+ women.

pozview:

Disabled people finally given a voice on HIV and Aids

An international conference on Aids last week focused on the problems of disabled people and HIV, which are often ignored because of misconceptions about disability and sexuality.

thesavagesalad:

I guess the reason why I’m posting there seems to be little info on this kinda stuff despite the fact that plenty of folks who follow me and who I follow use sex toys. It’s worth while sharing info and most of all it’s important to be safe when doing what ever gets you to reach the big O

reprohealthdaily:

After addressing some important facts about chlamydia, we want to make sure you know how to recognize some possible symptoms! Chlamydia is known as a “silent” disease because the majority of infected people have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.

• In women, the bacteria initially infect the cervix and the urethra. Women who do have symptoms might have an abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating.

• If the infection spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries to the uterus), some women still have no signs or symptoms; others have lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, pain during intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods.

• Chlamydial infection of the cervix can spread to the rectum.

• Men with signs or symptoms might have a discharge from their penis or a burning sensation when urinating. They may also have burning and itching around the opening of the penis. Kepe in mind that pain and swelling in the testicles are uncommon in chlamydia.

• Men or women who have receptive anal intercourse may acquire chlamydial infection in the rectum. This can cause rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding. 

• Something that is less fequently addressed is that chlamydia can also be found in the throats of women and men having oral sex with an infected partner.

Check us out on Twitter and join us on Facebook!

svk0085:

50% of Men Can be Carriers of HPV

Screening & Awareness is a Must!

HPV Infection Rates In Men - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (by RoboticOncology)