sexsage

Author: Sage Bierster

I'd like to ask my readers a question - if we didn't live in Middlebury, in our infamous bubble where we feel safe and protected, if we weren't surrounded by well-educated and (let's face it) a bunch of mostly white, middle-and upper-class people, would you even consider having sex without a condom? If it's just once, twice or every time, what's the harm? Obviously in a place like Middlebury College, from students like these, you will never catch a disease.

WRONG! It is this erroneous perception that we have that makes us more susceptible to catch Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIS) such as gonorrhea and HPV. We are not immune, and neither is that person you took home from Modapolooza last weekend. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), by the age of 24 one in every three sexually active people will have contracted some kind of STI. This means during our four years here anywhere from 650-780 students will have or had a disease they caught from sexual activity, and you can bet that it was unprotected.

Of course we might be more willing to use condoms if they weren't seen as taking away from the pleasure of sex (the difference in sensation is minor), and if they weren't, admit it, just a little less awkward. We are so focused on our own pleasure that we forget how risky sex is nowadays. Who hasn't been in the heat of the moment, went to put the condom on and suddenly found that the magic (and erection) were gone? These are the moments, which, instead of making us reach for the Trojans, make us reconsider using one.

Luckily, I have some advice for you. The next time you have sex, try putting the condom on as soon as you or your partner gets hard. I'm not saying jump immediately to the sex - I recommend the opposite. Once the condom is on, go ahead with foreplay and really draw it out. Tease the hell out of each other. Don't have sex until you can't stand it anymore and then it is simply an act of insertion. There is no longer that awkward moment because the condom is already on! This method has a great side benefit too - extra STI protection. Even if there is no insertion (such as when giving a blow job or just being naked while fooling around), penile, anal and vaginal secretions can transmit diseases, so you and/or your partner are wrapped up and can still have fun. Indeed, the whole point of this exercise and sex in general is to have a good time. At least this way you stay safe, take stress out of the equation and enjoy yourselves.

Male condoms aren't the only way to protect against the transmission of STDs. Female condoms and dental dams should also be used during anal, vaginal and oral sex, and always change condoms or dams when you switch from one type of sex to the other to prevent fluid transmission. These are all readily available for free at the Parton Health Center, so take advantage. I hope you take my advice and tune in next week for more. And, as always, remember that the only sex worth having is good and safe sex.