Are We Talking About the Same Kind of “Sex”?

A few weeks back I posted about the results of a teen sex survey in Toronto (in a nutshell, the kids want more information than they currently get). One of the things that struck me in the analyses of the study was that 4% of the respondents said they weren’t sure they’d had sex, yet they reported vaginal, oral and anal sex experiences. Which leads me to ask, what are we talking about when we discuss sex? To me, sex can be many things to many people (Hallelujah!), and safe sex involves lots of possibilities. But the study makes me think this isn’t the case in general.

Take oral sex as an example. Some people may not think of oral sex as “real” (that is, it can’t produce a pregnancy). A study looking at STD rates in virginity pledgers  (who pledge to remain sexually abstinent until marriage) vs. non-pledgers found there was not a significant difference in sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates, despite the pledges. Pledgers were six times as likely to engage in oral sex than their non-pledging peers, and anal sex rates among boys who took the pledge were four times that of non-pledgers. While oral and anal sex can’t produce a pregnancy, there are other potential complications like STIs.

The risks for STI infection from oral sex are reinforced by the recent release of an information sheet on the topic from the American Centre for disease Control. And having an existing STI can put a person at higher risk for HIV infection. What this makes clear to me is that when we’re talking sex (with anyone), we have to make sure we’re talking the same language. Sex is not just the “gold standard” of penis into vagina. 

The authors of the Toronto study acknowledge that language could be a problem when asking people about their sexual activity. Vaginal heterosexual intercourse may be what people see as ”sex,” but this isn’t the only sex people are having. Asking about specific behaviours / acts is the better route. Sounds in keeping with the safer sex message that challenges perceptions about risky groups of people and instead says we should be thinking about acts that could be risky: “it’s not who you do, it’s what you do.” So if we’re talking about sex, let’s make sure we’re naming all the the bits of the body and how they bond.

- Janet

This was posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Body Health, Education & Resources, HIV Prevention . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.

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