10 Smart Steps to Avoid STDs

Get smart find out all you can about STDs.
Decide to be safe once you know that anyone who has sex can get STDs, the next step is deciding to be safe.
Choose your protection and design a plan that will work for you. These are some good ways to stay safe.
Talk about it. Talking with a partner before you have sex is a key step in staying safe.
Be sexy and safe. Make abstinence sexy, and understand intercourse is only one way to express sexual feelings.
Be clear that you only want to have safer sex. Refuse to settle for less.
Decide whether you’ll use abstinence or a condom to protect yourself from STD
Choose a partner who also wants to be safe. Talk before you have sex
Learn how to use condoms correctly. Use them every time.
Stay sober. It’s easier to forget to be safe when you’ve been drinking or using drugs.

WHAT IS SAFE?

Kissing - Saliva has never been shown to transmit HIV. So kissing is safe, whether it’s a peck on the cheek or “high impact aerobic French kissing”.

Talking - You can talk about safer sex as a way to suggest your choices or fantasies, or watch porn together and talk about what turns you on.

Masturbation - Masturbating yourself and your partner is safe. Try different lubricants for different feeling.

WHAT IS RISKY?

Anal sex without a condom-“Barebacking” or “raw” sex is very risky for both partners, top and bottom.

People with HIV believe they are not at risk from unprotected sex, but getting another STD may make HIV more serious.

People who don’t know their HIV status are taking risks. It can be hard to talk about condoms with someone new. It can be tempting to be unsafe if other people are. But staying uninfected is the best way to be around when a vaccine or cure is found.