thedatingfeminist:

So hey it seems like a lot of people with vaginas think that if the person you’re fucking ALSO has a vagina, you don’t need to use protection if there aren’t open sores.

That is not true.

Sharing sex toys, having oral sex, and even fingering or being fingered by someone with an STI can put you at risk, and it’s totally possible to have an STI even if you’re a virgin or have only fucked people with vaginas.

Here are some reasons why you should get tested and/or use dental dams, finger cots or gloves, and condoms over shared toys when you’re fucking someone else with a vagina:

• Genital warts (HPV) aren’t always visible – they can be as far inside as the cervix, and can be passed by sharing toys or skin-to-skin contact even if you’re asymptomatic
• Chlamydia and gonorrhea can be passed by sharing toys or genital to genital contact (although I’ve literally never heard of anyone actually scissoring, if you’re the rare exception put some plastic wrap between you)
• unless a sex toy is made of glass it’s probably impossible to completely disinfect/sterilise
• Syphilis is another one you can’t tell about just by looking, and it can be passed by skin-to-skin contact
• Bacterial vaginosis is especially common in people with vaginas whose partners also have vaginas. It can be symptom-free or cause a bad smell.
• Even HIV can be passed along if there’s a microtear you’re not aware of in your finger, mouth, vulva, etc.

You are not immune to STIs just because both you and your partner have vaginas.

If it’s at all possible, get a yearly pap smear, get STI tested regularly and between partners, and don’t have unprotected sex with someone without showing each other recent test sheets or if they’re fucking other people who haven’t showed you recent tests.

And do some research of your own! Searches for “lesbian safe sex” are probably going to be most fruitful, even if that’s not entirely accurate for you.

Have fun and be safe!

(Oh, and if your local shops don’t sell dental dams, try online. I buy mine from Amazon.com in the US. Otherwise you can use high-end plastic cling wrap or a condom cut open with clean scissors and laid flat against the vulva.)