Are the safest gay sex acts
Last updated on May 21st, 2025 at 06:48 pm
Most of us didn’t study much about safer sex in college, at least if we grew up in the US. Even fewer of us learned anything material about homosexual sex education. And gay safer sex? Forget about it. While you may have heard stigmatizing or fear-mongering concerns about the risks of gay sex, the reality is that safer sexual practices are available to everyone, regardless of identity. Here’s what you deserve to know about safe gay sex and how to protect your well-being.
What’s safe(r) sex, really?
It’s crucial to know that all sexual activity carries some level of uncertainty (as does almost anything we carry out in life that matters!). This means all sexual contact — including types of sex people may think of as risk-free, fond cunnilingus or scissoring in lesbian sex. Despite pervasive myths around gay men being uniquely high-risk as a sexual population, everyone should be thinking actively about the exposure factors in their sex life and how to mitigate potential health concerns, without indulging in fearmongering or unnecessary panic. For all of us, regardless of what benign of sex we have, with whom, or how often, the basics of safer sex are:
LGBTQIA+ Safer Sex Guide
Zero.
Disgracefully, that’s the number of U.S. states that call for sex education curriculums be comprehensively inclusive to LGBTQIA+ folks.
Most sex awareness programs, instead, assume that those receiving the knowledge are both heterosexual and cisgender. If there’s anything less cute than clogs, it’s that degree of homophobia and transphobia.
That’s why we worked with GLSEN, Advocates for Youth, and two queer sex educators to create a safer sex guide that understands the true complexity and diversity across gender identities, sexual orientation, attractions, and experiences.
Only 5 (ish) percent of LGBTQIA+ students saw any LGBTQIA+ representation in health class.
This guide is for the 95 percent of students whose many sexual health questions went unanswered in school.
It’s also for any LGBTQIA+ person who’s ever wondered:
- “What conversations should I have with a partner before sex?”
- “Is there a uncertainty of pregnancy or STI transmission during [insert sex act here]?”
- “What can I do to form sex even better?”
- “How do I become pleasant with my own body?”
Or anything else connected to sexual health, sexual plea
Tips for Healthy Queer Sex
Sex is full of risks, and some sex acts are more risky than others. We’ll show you how you can diminish your risks for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) while enjoying a healthy sex life.
Anal Sex
Whether you’re topping or bottoming, anal sex is a high-risk task for contracting HIV and other STIs. Here are tips to ensure you’re having safe, and joy, anal sex:
- Use condoms. When used effectively, latex or polyisoprene condoms are the best way to block the spread of HIV and other STIs. Elude oil-based lubricants and only wear one condom at a time to stop them from tearing. Be sure to check the expiration date on your condom – don’t employ an expired condom!
- Use plenty of lube, perhaps more than you think. Lube prevents tears from occurring on the head of your penis or the inside of your rectum.
- Pull out. We don’t endorse barebacking (having anal sex without a condom), but if you find yourself having sex without a condom, pulling out can reduce the risk of exposure to HIV for the bottoming partner.
- Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP is a vital tool in the HIV prevention toolbox. PrEP is a once-a-day pill
Safe sexual health practices are a key part of health and wellness. Unfortunately, many LGBT people are erased from mainstream conversations about safe sex. As young people, many of us never received proper sex ed that was LGBTQIA+ inclusive. Plus, many of our healthcare providers might not fully know how to provide the best sexual health services for our community. This means that many lesbian, gay, lgbtq+, as well as transgender and nonbinary people have to rely on guesswork when it comes to practicing safe(r) sex and making the right decisions for our health, bodies, and sex lives.
What types of conversations should you have with a partner before having sex? Is there a risk of pregnancy on hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? Can you obtain an STI from using a sex toy? At FOLX Health, we crave you to include the tools you need to apply gender-affirming safe(r) sex, no matter what kind of sex you’re having. Homosexual people deserve access to clear and concise sexual health information. Read on to learn more.
What is LGBTQ+ safe(r) sex?
What is the difference between harmless sex and safer sex? Some people use the word “safe sex” to talk about sexual health practices that redu
Sexual health for male lover and bisexual men
Having unprotected penetrative sex is the most likely way to pass on a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Using a condom helps preserve against HIV and lowers the risk of getting many other STIs.
If you’re a man having sex with men (MSM), without condoms and with someone modern, you should have an STI and HIV check every 3 months, otherwise, it should be at least once a year. This can be done at a sexual health clinic (SHC) or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. This is important, as some STIs do not bring about any symptoms.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a liver infection that's spread by a virus in poo.
Hepatitis A is uncommon in the UK but you can earn it through sex, including oral-anal sex ("rimming") and giving oral sex after anal sex. MSM with multiple partners are particularly at risk. You can also get it through contaminated food and drink.
Symptoms of hepatitis A can arrive up to 8 weeks after sex and encompass tiredness and feeling sick (nausea).
Hepatitis A is not usually life-threatening and most people make a complete recovery within a couple of months.
MSM can evade getting hepatitis A by:
- washing hands after sex (bottom, groin a
- washing hands after sex (bottom, groin a