Sexual Safety - Condom talk

Condom Talk

Some people find it hard to talk about condoms, but to keep ourselves safe we have to start. When it looks like you might be about to have sex, don’t be shy!

Ask your partner if they have a condom, or tell them that you do. Talking about it shows that you care about your health and your partner’s. That should never be embarrassing.

People can give lots of reasons for not using condoms, but there are lots of ways to handle this.

Try these examples

They say, "It doesn’t feel the same"

“It might feel a bit different, but are you going to let a thin bit of rubber get in the way of us having sex?”

They say, "Trust me, I don’t have an STI"

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, I care about both of us and our health.”

They say, "I don’t have any condoms"

“I do.” or “That’s okay, we can go buy some or we can do other things until we have some.” 

They say, "Why do we need to use a condom if we’re using another form of contraception?"

“The pill only prevents pregnancy, not STIs.”

They say, "I hate them or I won’t wear them."

“Hmmm… I won’t ever have sex without one.”

They say, "I can’t afford them."

“I have some” or “They are only about $3 on prescription, less than a pie! Let’s go get some.”