Sex is not all about intercourse

I loved this recent comic from Girls with Slingshots, which not only brings up the wide variety of practices that constitute safe sex but reminds readers that sex isn't just about intercourse. As one character puts it, "if oral and fingering are things only lesbians do, then I feel really bad for you straight people."

Of course, straight people do engage in oral sex and fingering. What they don't often do is engage in them safely, because these activities are often thought of as the prelude to "real sex" rather than as sexual acts themselves. Bad choice. Oral sex has risks for both partners, and fingering can also spread STDs. (If you never want to feel clean again, research HPV transmission by fomite. The list of pathogens that can thrive under your fingernails is disturbing.)

Anyway, I just want to say "Kudos!" to Danielle Corsetto, the author of Girls With Slingshots, who is doing a great job educating her readers about safe sex. I should head over and apologize for getting a bit lecture-y when she posted a footnote saying that STDs are now called STIs because scientists want to be P.C.*

• Tips For Having Safer Sex
• Safe Sex for Lesbians
• Why Do Doctors Call STDs STIs?

_{*Oh, and all of you people who sent me the comic? I subscribe to the GWS RSS feed, so I'd already seen it... but I did appreciate the thought!}