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The logo is a white heart shape with the words “Our Health Matters” written in black, purple and yellow. The Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC) logo is included underneath in black, purple, and yellow. On the top lefthand side of the heart there are 5 light blue tabs and on the righthand side of the heart there are 5 light pink tabs.

What is Safer Sex?

Safer sex means caring for your own health and anyone you may be having sex with's health.

6 condoms hanging on a string. The colours of the condoms are pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

These are the condoms you are probably most familiar with, they come in many shapes, sizes and even flavours. (Flavoured condoms should only be used for oral sex as they can cause a yeast infection of the genital area).

 

They are single use only and work by providing a barrier to prevent HIV & STI transmission. These condoms are good for penetrative sex of all kinds, oral sex and can also be used on sex toys. Condoms should always be used with a water-based lubricant

Picture of any internal condom, which has a small collapsible ring at one end and a large ring at the other.

These may also be referred to as female condoms. They are similar to
external condoms however they are placed inside the vagina or anus prior to sex. These condoms also act as a barrier to prevent HIV & STI transmission. Internal condoms are good for penetrative sex of all kinds.

 

These condoms work by placing the inner ring inside either the vagina or anus with the outer ring being left on the outside of the genitals.

Image is 5 dental dams roughly displayed over each other. The colours of the dams are blue, pink, yellow, purple and aqua.

A dental dam is a flat piece of latex that can be used as a barrier when placed over the vagina or anus for oral sex. These are primarily used for oral sex and rimming.

 

Just like condoms please remember to change dams between partners and when switching between anal or vaginal contact. Like condoms these are single use only, so don’t flip it around and use the other side.

Image is a pair of white latex gloves.

Latex gloves can be used when putting fingers or fists inside the vagina or anus. Wearing gloves can reduce your chances of contracting or transmitting STI’s through any tiny cuts that may be on your hands or fingers. They can also prevent you from accidently scratching your partner/s.

Image is a 50ml bottle of water based lube. The bottle has a blue label and a clear lid.

There are 3 main types of lube:

 

Water Based Lube

This is the most common type of lube and is recommended to be used with condoms (external and internal) and toys.


Silicone Based Lube

Silicone lube as the name suggests is made from silicone. It is safe to use with condoms (external and internal) however should not be used with any silicone toys as it will degrade them over time. Silicone lube is best used for longer sessions or any play in water eg shower, bath etc

 

Oil Based Lube

Oil based lubes are used for heavier types of play such as fisting and large insertion. Don't use anything that has oil in it, like lotion, Vaseline, or oil-based lubes with latex condoms. Oil can damage latex condoms and make them break. Oil based lube can also stick around your genitals longer than it’s wanted and can be an infection risk.

In addition to the safer sex options listed above, there are other ways to reduce your chances of HIV & STI transmission. These are called Treatment as Prevention or TasP.

There are 12 people of varying genders and expressions standing together, representing some of the diversity that we have within our Trans, Gender Diverse and Non-Binary Communities. 2 people in the group are holding a trans and a non-binary flag. There is a person with a guide cane and someone in a wheelchair. “Many people will get an STI and not even know they have it because they may never experience any signs or symptoms” is written in white, “STI” is written in purple in the top lefthand corner. The Our Health Matters logo is in the bottom righthand corner and in the in the bottom righthand corner “Regular testing and using safer sex methods (such as condoms, dams etc) will greatly lower your chances of getting HIV, an STI or spreading it” is written in white & the words “HIV and STI” are written yellow.

There are a number of ways to have safer sex and we’ll discuss some of them now.

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