 Like the late, great George Michael said, sex is natural, sex is fun, so let's talk about S-E-X. Safe is sex is nothing new, but people still feel a bit taboo talking about it. Well, tear down those walls in your mind and let's strip down to the facts and have some fun. Here's some Courtney facts. Just like with car insurance and sunscreen, you want to make sure that you're fully covered when it comes to sexual safety. And that means condoms, dental dams, lubricant, the whole gift basket of genital goodness to prevent sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis, HIV and babies. I use the term safer sex because if you're having sex there's always a risk. There's no such thing as safe sex, but knowing the risk and knowing how to look after yourself and your partner can lead to lots of fun times horizontally. Well, why limit yourself? Vertically, downward dog, sex is kind of like Jenga. Anywho, here's the facts. Condoms and dental dams. You want latex unless you have a latex allergy, but you'll know that because if you ever put on a condom and it looked or felt like you hit a wasp nest with your wanger, then you probably allergic to latex. So use polyurethane. Oh, but don't use lamb skin condoms as they can easily pass HIV through them. Also, they're not actually lamb skin. They are sheep intestines, but I guess that sheep's guts condoms kind of had less of a ring to it. You'll definitely want to wear a condom when a penis goes into a vagina or an anus. And technically the safest oral sex should involve a condom or a dental dam. But I don't actually know anyone who uses condoms or dental dams for blow jobs, but then I also don't know anybody who voted Republican in the last election and clearly someone did. So what do I know? And since you can definitely get a cornucopia of STIs from oral sex, it's always worth fully discussing with your partners and getting fully tested before going in with no protection. Lube. We're going to go a lot more into lube in its own episode, but just know for now that lube is not a garnish. It's a necessity, especially when we're talking about someone coming through the garage door instead of the front door. One of the most important parts of safer sex is knowing your sexual health status. If you've had one partner or your bedroom is as well attended as a Justin Bieber concert, getting a sexual health checkup at your doctor or sexual health clinic is a must. The more aware and informed you are, the less likely you are to contract an STI or pass it on. And if money's an issue, don't worry. There's so many places, clinics that offer free testing and treatment. Easy. And if you do get an STI, don't worry either. Treatment is available. I shared my case of chlamydia online and all it took was a couple of tablets and it was gone. No shame. There are a few more important marvels of modern medicine that are handy to know about. PEP or post exposure prophylaxis is a combination of drugs that can be taken if you believe you've been exposed to HIV. Now it needs to be taken within 72 hours of exposure and it will statistically prevent you from contracting HIV. Remember though that every hour counts in those 72, so the sooner you get treatment, the more effective it will be. It's available at sexual health clinics or if it's after hours, you can go to an emergency room. PEP or pre exposure prophylaxis is another drug that's gained a lot of attention recently, especially in the gay community. PEP is a treatment usually taken daily that can prevent you from contracting HIV. So if you're having sex without condoms, if you're engaging in risky sex practices, it's definitely something to talk to your doctor or clinic about. And remember honesty is a really big part of sexual safety. If you do have an STI, big or small, it's not the end of the ball game. There are still good times to be had, but being honest with yourself and your partner about what precautions you need to take is key. Remember no 10 second orgasm is worth the lifetime of medical issues, so be aware and be honest so that you can have lots of fun with the people that you make love to. I'm Courtney Act. Thank you for watching my video on safer sex and go out and put it to good practice. Tell me how you go.