Safe sex
Reducing risk, not eliminating it.
Last updated
Safe sex refers to sexual activity that incorporates protective methods or contraceptive devices—like condoms—to lower the risk of transmitting or catching sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly HIV. Some prefer the terms "safer sex" or "protected sex" to emphasize that even highly effective precautions don't remove all risk. The phrase is also sometimes used casually to describe pregnancy prevention methods, which may or may not also reduce STI risk. The idea of safe sex emerged in the 1980s as a response to the global AIDS epidemic, especially the crisis in the United States.
Ineffective methods
Promoting it is now a key goal of sex education and STI prevention, particularly for reducing new HIV infections. It's considered a harm reduction strategy aimed at lowering STI transmission. While some safe sex practices, like condoms, can also serve as birth control, most forms of contraception do not protect against STIs.
History
Conversely, some safe sex practices, such as choosing partners carefully or engaging in low-risk sexual behavior, may not be effective for preventing pregnancy. Though strategies for avoiding STIs like syphilis and gonorrhea have existed for centuries, and the term "safe sex" appeared in English as early as the 1930s, its use to mean STI-risk reduction dates to the mid-1980s in the United States, in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. A year before HIV was isolated and named, the San Francisco chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence published a small pamphlet called Play Fair!, concerned about widespread STIs among the city's gay male population.
It specifically named Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia—later understood as symptoms of advanced HIV disease (AIDS). The pamphlet recommended abstinence, condoms, personal hygiene, lubricants, and STI testing/treatment, taking a casual, sex-positive tone while stressing personal and social responsibility. In May 1983—the same month HIV was isolated and named in France—New York City activists Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen published similar advice in How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach. Both publications included recommendations that remain standard for reducing STI and HIV risks.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Public health, sexual health education
- Known for
- Promoting STI risk reduction through condoms
- abstinence
- and other practices
- Origin
- United States, 1980s
- Related terms
- Safer sex
- protected sex
- safe love
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The concept of safe sex emerged in the 1980s as a response to the global AIDS epidemic, and possibly more specifically to the AIDS crisis in the United States. Promoting safe sex is now one of the main aims of sex education and STI prevention, especially reducing new HIV infections.
Safe sex is regarded as a harm reduction strategy aimed at reducing the risk of STI transmission. Although some safe sex practices (like condoms) can also be used as birth control (contraception), most forms of contraception do not protect against STIs. Likewise, some safe sex practices, such as partner selection and low-risk sex behavior, might not be effective forms of contraception.
Reader's Guide
Barriers, such as condoms, dental dams, and medical gloves can prevent contact with body fluids (such as blood, vaginal fluid, semen, rectal mucus), and other means of transmitting STIs (like skin, hair and shared objects) during sexual activity. External condoms can be used to cover the penis, hands, fingers, or other body parts during sexual penetration or oral sex. They are most frequently made of latex, and can also be made out of synthetic materials including polyurethane and polyisoprene. Internal condoms (also called female condoms) are inserted into the vagina or anus prior to sexual penetration.
These condoms are made of either latex, polyurethane, or nitrile. External and internal condoms should not be used at the same time; they may break due to friction between the materials during sexual activity. A dental dam (originally used in dentistry) is a sheet of latex typically used for protection between the mouth and the vulva or anus when engaging in oral sex.
Condoms or disposable gloves may be cut to act as a dental dam. Insufficient research has been conducted regarding whether plastic wrap can effectively serve as a dental dam. Authorities on sexual health cautiously recommend it due to its greater accessibility compared to dental dams. Medical gloves and finger cots made out of latex, vinyl, nitrile, or polyurethane can cover hands or fingers during manual sex.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Safe sex?
Safe sex is a public-health concept encompassing the use of barriers like condoms, dental dams, or other protective methods to reduce the likelihood of transmitting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. It is also sometimes called safer sex or protected sex, acknowledging that no single method eliminates every risk entirely.
What is Safe sex known for?
Its core function is harm reduction: lowering STI transmission risk through barrier methods, limiting the number of partners, getting tested regularly, and, in some frameworks, practicing abstinence. It can also overlap with pregnancy-prevention strategies, though not all contraceptive methods offer STI protection.
Where did Safe sex come from?
The term and its associated messaging crystallized in the United States during the 1980s, driven by the urgent need to curb HIV spread amid the AIDS epidemic. Related phrasing such as safer sex, protected sex, and safe love have since been used to emphasize that risk is reduced rather than fully erased.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Safe sex (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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