Stop being selfish and start using contraception

Uni is the time you explore your sexuality, the time to find out what you like and dislike.

And know what you’ll definitely dislike? An STD.

I went to a private faith school that taught sex education in the most basic sense. Penis and vagina together makes a baby.  That was pretty much it. We had the PHSE lessons which quickly covered STDs in the simplest way possible – STD’S ARE BAD, USE CONDOMS, OR ABSTAIN. It was a very Mean Girls approach to sex, except the teacher didn’t hand out Durex at the end.

As a curious closeted homosexual I knew the only way I could learn safe sex was to Google it. After some very explicit search results, I found the answers I so desperately sought – it was that simple. Putting them into practice wasn’t that hard either, though condoms can be tricky blighters when you first use them.

I’m not the only one to have less than adequate sex education. It’s not just an issue that affects kids from the LGBT community. But not having had decent sex education is not a valid excuse for shagging without contraception. Anal sex doesn’t tend to appear on school curriculums, yet I’ve learnt to wrap it up.

Barebacking (sex without a condom) is often seen as a scandalous act in the gay world. I’m reminded about the horrors of HIV infection every time I open up a glossy gay mag. It seems that because I’m a bender this disease belongs to me and my kinds. The reality of the situation is HIV, and the other horde of STDs, don’t discriminate.

Going to uni means you’re probably going to (or at least try) to have sex. You may even have lots of sex, with lots of people. Some of these people you won’t know, and will never see again. And even the ones you do know, you don’t know where they’ve been.

Sex with a condom is like having a sweet with the wrapper on! Sex is so much better without a condom though! Yes, yes it is! How do I, holier than thou, know this? Because I did the deed with an ex-boyfriend. It was amazing, and one of my biggest regrets – he was a cheater. I could have ended up with something nasty, something life-altering. Luckily I didn’t. Just because you have a committed partner doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be taking precautions.

It’s your responsibility to get yourself tested. It is abhorrently selfish to shag about and not make sure you’re clear. Even if you haven’t got symptoms of any diseases, you should still be getting checked out. I aim to go every three months even when I have a boyfriend because infections can stay hidden, and nobody wants a bout of chlamydia to ruin a relationship do they?

And you cannot legitimately use your gender as an excuse for not being prepared. Some girls fear that if they bring the condoms they’re going to be viewed as sluts, whereas some guys think that all girls are on the pill and that they can slip in unsheathed. Neither of these views in acceptable in 2015.

This lax attitude to safe-sex doesn’t just affect one group. Mates of mine, be they straight, gay, men or women, have often told me about the one night stand they’ve had where they haven’t taken precautions.I’ve had several friends who’ve had pregnancy scares due to their so-called forgetfulness. This has led me to running out to Boots (or in one case Poundland) to buy a pregnancy test, and even looking up where the nearest Marie Stopes is.

Abortion is not a form of contraception – it should be a last resort. But equally relying on the morning-after pill is just as bad an attitude to have towards sex. If I haven’t stressed it enough, there are worse things than getting pregnant.

Wouldn’t life just be so much easier if we all started using contraception? It would make those trips to the clinic less awkward. Quite frankly, whether you put it out a little or you put it out a lot, you should be protecting yourself and others. If you don’t and have no intention to, then you’re a selfish twat and karma is going to really fuck you up (and not in the way you like).

Mistakes happen, but they shouldn’t occur regularly.