For public health, ‘sex’ is not a taboo word

Sex. There, I said it: SEX. 

Somewhere along the way, this natural part of human existence was dubbed an inappropriate topic, and with that we lost nearly all ability to learn about things like consent, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Once again, STD rates have reached an all-time high in the United States.  According to The Cut magazine, nearly 2.3 million sexually transmitted diseases were diagnosed in 2017. This total blew away the previous record-high from 2016 by more than 200,000 cases.

If this comes as a shock to you, you’re not alone. Because we have categorized sex as an awkward topic, Americans have a tough time talking about sex in terms of their health. This creates dangerous gaps in knowledge. The fact of the matter is, if we are not talking about the reality of STDs and their prevalence, we won’t be able to protect ourselves against them.

This continual upward trend is not something that should go unnoticed. These alarming statistics show us it’s time we stop shying away from conversations about the reality of sex and start making it normal to get educated, and more importantly — get tested.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that young people between the ages of 13 and 24 made up 21 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2016. Every year, half of the average 20 million new STD cases reported are among the ages 15 to 24. Additionally, one in two sexually active people will contract an STD before the age of 25.

Are you noticing a pattern? Young people (hello, us!) make up a huge chunk of the population with STDs. This isn’t because we have weaker bodies or because the diseases are getting stronger. It’s because we either are not educated, or just don’t care.

STDs are common, but fewer than a quarter of women ages 15 to 44 surveyed by the CDC reported having used a condom the last time they had sex. Only 33 percent of men in that same age group had used one.

Using a condom is one of the easiest ways to protect against the spread of STDs, but for some reason we are not doing it. Why are we putting ourselves at risk?

My belief is that many of us are just ignorant. It is easy to think STDs aren’t that common and the chances of contracting an STD from your random hookup are slim. It’s even easier to reason that you, yourself, do not have an STD because you have not shown any symptoms. 

While this thought process might give you peace of mind, it puts yourself and your partners at risk. It’s time we start making sexual health a priority and normalize the idea of getting tested between each sexual partner.

According to PBS, in 2013 only 11.5 percent of sexually active young adults reported getting tested for STDs in the year before. This included 17 percent of females and 6 percent of males. This does not mean nearly 90 percent of the sexually active population was clean. It means nearly 90 percent did not even bother to check.  

We need to change the narrative around sex and encourage our peers to learn about risk factors and get tested. We need to start talking openly about STDs, get tested regularly and reduce risk by using condoms. We need to take sex seriously.

Abigail Miller is a UF journalism and political science senior. Her column appears on Fridays.