Talk Openly / Take Control / Test Regularly

Today marks the first in a series of topics related to queer sexual health. Today, we honor and CELEBRATE the incredible diversity of how our community feels and experiences romantic and/or sexual attraction. We are each a point of space in this spectrum, but for some, this may be fluid or exist beyond what is represented. A few of us here at #StauntonPride have marked our places. Where do you land?⠀

What do we mean by “queering” conversations of sexual health? Current dialogue surrounding sex-ed and sexual health is inherently exclusionary to our #LGBTQ+ community. Often, we are left to navigate these conversations through a lack of affirming medical resources/representation and social stigma and isolation. Our community has identities intersecting with race, class and disability that disproportionately impact our sexual lives and sexual health. We see downstream consequences of this with documented mental and physical health disparities and higher rates of HIV/STI infection within our LGBTQ+ community. Over the course of the next 2 months, we hope this feature will facilitate and normalize conversations surrounding our relationship structures, sex, pleasure, and sexual health. We firmly reject the notion of centering heterosexual, cisgender, monogamous relationships as the norm. By queering conversations of sexual health, we create a more expansive space for our community to exist and to empower ourselves to lead healthy and fulfilling sexual lives.⠀

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*As a reminder, we are fostering a safe space for dialogue. If we feel that this is threatened by anyone, we will address it directly to ensure that we protect our community members.*⠀

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Talk Openly / Take Control / Test Regularly