STAY SAFE SAFETY TIPS FOR HOOKUPS

No alcohol or drugs; hook up sober.

Communication and consent. Active and enthusiastic consent. Make sure you and your partner are agreeing to every sexual act (e.g. Can I kiss you? Can I touch you here? etc.).

Check in throughout the encounter (e.g. Are you still okay with this?). It is important that both boys and girls ask for and receive (voluntarily) consent.

Use contraceptives and always use a barrier method, even for oral sex, and even if using an oral contraceptive if engaging in penile-vaginal intercourse.

If you are sexually active, get STI testing regularly, especially after and before new partners.

Communicate about likes and dislikes; what feels good and what doesn’t. Don’t just “grin and bear it” or pretend something feels good when it doesn’t.

Parents: talk to your kids about sex; protection; pleasure, especially female pleasure, which is often ignored; the importance of consent; and the confusing emotions that come with hooking up. Be that safe space for them.

Source:SylviaMikucki-Enyart,AssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofCommunicationStudiesattheUniversityofIowa