Queer Sexual Health & Resources
For many of us, the kind of sex education we had when we were younger was not queer or trans inclusive. For example, we may have only learned about condoms in relation to preventing pregnancy in the context of heterosexual sex. But pregnancy prevention might also apply to trans men, and there are many other sexual barriers, including gloves and dental dams, both in latex and non-latex options. It is sometimes hard to find information on how or why to use gloves and how to use (and where to buy) dental dams.
Pink & White Productions encourages models to have hot, safe sex. We supply several different kinds of safer sex barriers and lubricants, and can provide specific brands at request for models. We generally don’t cut out lube and barrier application from our movies, showing the mechanics of how safer sex is practiced, what it’s like to put on gloves, take a break to apply lube, and other actions that can make sex safe and fun. Performers take responsibility for their sexual health, and we strive to provide as many options as we can, whether they choose to get tested, use barriers, have low-risk sex, or a combination. Please note that people may use different names for their sexual anatomy than the words used on this page, we’ll try to use commonly understood vocabulary, and will commit to keeping this page updated as we go.
QUEER SEX HEALTH QUICKIE
While ALL sex is risky, low-no risk sex includes things like: Kissing on the Mouth, Mutual Masturbation, and Dry Humping (grinding your genitals against someone else while wearing clothing, or rubbing someone’s genitals over clothes).
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) refer to many different viruses and bacterial infections. Some of the most common include Chlamydia, Herpes, Gonorrhea, HPV (genital warts), and Syphilis. Infections can be spread even if no symptoms are visible, and you can be infected without knowing it. With higher risk sex, transmission is spread when one person’s vaginal fluids, ejaculate, cum, semen, pre-cum, blood and menstrual blood or breast milk, enter the bloodstream through an open wound, or, absorb through the mucous membranes of the body (such as via the vagina, throat, and anus).
Partners should be tested and treated to avoid transmission and further health risks, including being more susceptible to HIV. To play it safe, get a regular STI check up if you might be at risk, even if you haven’t shown any signs of symptoms. Always discuss your known STI status with sexual partners, and consider practicing safer sex via barriers. Make sure your hands, mouth, and genitals do not have any open wounds. If you’re concerned with your breath, chew gum rather than flossing or brushing your teeth if it’s within the hour before sex. Wash yourself thoroughly with soap and water before any mouth to anal contact. Vaginal douche is unnecessary, but if you prefer it use warm water only because harsh chemicals can actually increase your risk by breaking the internal tissues. You can use dental dams (or even saran wrap if it’s not the perforated, microwavable kind) for oral sex and use gloves for sex with your hands. Finally, condoms work great on shared toys.
It’s also a good idea to keep hydrated and to remember to pee before sex — and after! — as it can help eliminate bacteria and viruses from your urethra, preventing some minor but uncomfortable bladder infection and BV.
NOTES ABOUT NAILS
Whatever the length of your nails, you can have pleasurable sex with safety in mind. Here’s some tips:
- Make sure your hands do not have any open wounds, nails are clean of dirt, and filed smooth.
- For acrylics, get gel polish under the nail to make sure the edge is smooth.
- For extra long, pointed, or nails with decals, you can cushion the tips of a glove with cotton balls.
SAFER SEX IS SEXY!
Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t protect yourself. Communication is a part of practicing safer sex! Don’t forgo barriers just because someone you like says they’re not sexy. Though it may be awkward at first, with practice, barriers can become familiar and normal part of sex. Ultimately, having consensual sex, where partners are informed and engaged, creates the best possible scenario for satisfying, healthful sex.
STD/STI TESTING RESOURCES
Going to the doctor can be intimidating for queer and/or trans people who may encounter health providers who are unfamiliar and often uneducated about our gender and sexual health needs. Many providers may also hold a very strong bias against sex work as a safe occupation.
While performers may be fluid-bonded or have monogamous sexual partners, regular testing and check-ups can help keep you healthy and may provide early detection of potential health concerns. Those who would want to get tested can find the following Bay Area businesses helpful:
- Lyon-Martin Health Services – personalized healthcare and support services to cis and trans women and transgender men who lack access to quality care because of their sexual or gender identity, regardless of their ability to pay.
- St. James Infirmary – offers free, confidential, nonjudgmental medical and social services for female, transgender, and male sex workers. They are the first occupational safety and health clinic for sex workers run by-and-or sex workers.
- Your health care provider – if you have health insurance, please schedule an appointment with your provider.
- OraQuil — affordable over the counter HIV test.
ADULT FILM INDUSTRY STI TESTING STANDARDS
Not all testing facilities use the industry’s preferred ELISA test which detects HIV antibodies in your blood for a shorter window period. The industry recognizes Cutting Edge Testing and Talent Testing Service. C.E.T. and T.T.S. use the P.A.S.S. system, created to protect performers’ privacy in disclosing their sexual health status with producers and co-stars.
Adult industry standard “Performer” panel tests currently include: HIV-1 RNA, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Trep Sure (syphilis test), RPR, Hep Bs Antigen, Hep C Antibody, and Trichomoniasis. The cost of the test is usually around $165, and results are emailed to you the next day. The standard ‘window’ of testing is 14 days. Please note: some clinics will charge a lab and draw fee that increases your total cost by an additional $80-90, depending on location. Test subsidies are sometimes offered by the industry, for more info, contact the adult industry trade association, the Free Speech Coalition.
- Cutting Edge Tests – A number of Bay Area locations. We recommend Foundation Lab in Oakland, which does not charge a draw or lab fee.
- Talent Testing Service – A number of Bay Area locations.
Please note: We encourage testing, and also respect performers’ ability to decide the best sexual health practices for them and their partner. We do not discriminate in our hiring practices against performers who are positive, and recognize that there are many ways to practice safer or lower risk sex. (See chart below.)
SEX ED RESOURCES
- SFSI – San Francisco Sex Information (415-989-7374)
- American Social Health Association STD/STI
- SCARLETEEN – Fantastic Youth (under 25yrs old) focused site
- O.School – an inclusive website of streaming live sex and relationship workshops
- Planned Parenthood – provides reproductive and sexual health care for millions of Americans.
A Holistic Approach
Check out Freeing Ourselves: A guide to Health and Self Love for Brown Bois.
Resources for Performers
- Pineapple Support provides 24/7 online, emotional support as well as free and subsidized professional therapy and advice to all performers and producers who have been active in the adult industry within the past 6 months.
- The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) advocates to maintain and improve safety and working conditions in the adult film industry by giving adult performers organized representation in matters that affect our health, safety, and community. We highly recommend the Model Bill of Rights and Performer Code of Conduct.
- The Free Speech Coalition is the national trade association to the adult entertainment and pleasure products industry. Its mission is to lead, protect, and support the growth and well-being of businesses and workers in the adult industry, as well as the communities to which they belong. Thanks to a partnership with NextGen, individual memberships with FSC include discounts on vision, dental, legal assistance, ID protection, vitamins, prescriptions, and other benefits.
- INSPIRE, launched by FSC’s Outreach Coordinator Lotus Lain, is a program created to inform, share resources, provide awareness and guide for adult film performers, especially those who are new or considering starting work and are asking the question, “How do I get into porn?”
COVID-19 Precautions
- Bay Area Worker Support COVID Guide
- CDC
- My Turn (Vaccination notifications for those in California)
- Free Speech Coalition Production Guidelines
Sex Ed Books
While there’s a lot of great books out there, we like to recommend Girl Sex 101, a sex-ed book with helpful info for ladies and lady-lovers of all genders and identities. It’s queer focused, trans inclusive, and covers everything from consent to squirting to muffing, with advice by CrashPad performers Tobi Hill-Meyer, Jiz Lee, Tina Horn, Papí Coxxx, Nina Hartley, and Sophia St. James.
Truvada as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Here’s information about PrEP and Truvada.
Trans Sex PDF Guides
- BRAZEN: Trans Women Safer Sex Guide
- Primed: The Back Pocket Guide for Trans Men and the Men Who Dig Them
- STRIDE: St. James Infirmary Guide to Hormones
- Fucking Trans Women (FTW issue #0) by Mira Bellwether
SEXUAL RISK CHART
Here is a clear chart of the likelihood of disease transmission with various types of sex. (You may download and print this chart.)
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* You could be at risk if the receiver has just topped someone else.
** Very low risk.
*** Unprotected anal sex is a very high risk activity for a bottom, much more so than for a top. The risk of HIV transmission to a bottom during unprotected anal sex is 15 in 1,000 versus 3 in 10,000 from a bottom to a top.
- Kissing, mutual masturbation, and frottage or dry humping are considered safer sex activities, with little to no risk of STD transmission.
- Using latex condoms (male or female) significantly reduces the risk of contracting STDs during anal, vaginal and oral sex.
- Washing hands and the genital area thoroughly before and after oral-anal sex reduces the risk of transmission of most of the listed STDs and conditions. Condom use reduces transmission risk even further.
Source: SF City Clinic.
If you feel you have more current information, please contact us to let us know.
