SAFER SEX

Venue Provisions:

• Condoms and individual packets of lube are available in each playroom and in the dungeon in this venue - please use them.

• Check that your protections and lubricants are intact before using them - and use venue provided items at your own risk.

• If you’re wary of using venue provided items, please bring your own and ensure they are appropriately approved (CE Marked), still in date for usage and that they have a clear list of ingredients or components available on the label or packaging.

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Disclosing Your Sexual Health Status:

• Have a discussion before engaging with a new partner or partners, not just from a sexual health viewpoint, but also to agree on limits, boundaries and safety considerations. 

• It is useful to have a physical or digital copy of your latest STI testing results (with your name) if you are comfortable showing potential partners.

• You must be honest when informing someone of your sexual health status or when someone asks you about your sexual health status.

  • Even if you're having protected sex, it is best practice and better for the community when people are honest about their current sexual health status.​

  • This also helps break the stigma around STIs - Being affected by an STI or any other condition is not shameful and does not diminish a persons character or qualities.

  • There are laws in England that cover Intentional or Reckless Sexual Transmission of Infection.

• If an attendee refuses to disclose their sexual health status when you ask them, our recommendations are:

  • Do not engage in high-risk activities with that attendee or;

  • Consider lower risk activities or;

  • Do not engage at all.

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High-Risk Activities:

Some attendees engage in what are classically referred to as ‘high-risk’ sexual activities that carry a higher risk profile of issues such as disease transmission and non-consensual contact. These include (but are not limited to):

• Using dark rooms

• Using gloryholes

• Non-disclosure activities

• Activities where other attendees are difficult to see or where a conversation regarding health status or other safety considerations have not been discussed first.

 

As Fiendish is a Sex Positive event, we understand that engaging in the above may be your kink. We want you to be as safe as possible, so please ensure you are taking care of yourself and others by using protection, ensuring you are being regularly tested, on PEP/PREP or other medication where necessary and/or appropriate and to remind yourself that everyone is responsible for helping stop the spread of communicable diseases.

 

Protection & Medication:

• Use protection such as condoms (or CE-marked alternative medical device or prophylaxis) every time you have sex.

• Ensure your chosen protection fits, is intact and has no rips, tears or visible punctures and that neither you nor your partner/s are allergic to the materials, especially where latex and spermicides are involved.

• For oral sex, help protect your mouth by having your partner use a condom or use dental dams.

• If you take PEP or PREP, ensure you have the right kind and are taking it when you need to take it to ensure maximum effectiveness.

• The NHS provides free vaccination for Hep A, Hep B, Mpox and HPV for people at higher risk.

  • Information on Mpox: Link

  • Information on Hep A: Link

  • Information on Hep B: Link

  • Information on HPV: Link

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Things To Avoid:

• Avoid drinking alcohol or using drugs as this increases the chance that you will participate in ‘high-risk’ sex and intoxication prevents you from being able to consent.

• Do not douche your vagina after intercourse or play unless medically advised to do so.

  • It does not protect against STIs. And, it could spread an infection further into the reproductive tract, wash away spermicidal protection and can also disrupt the pH balance and microbiome of the vagina.

• Avoid overuse of anal douches and only use them when necessary.

  • Overuse of enemas and water douching to cleanse the lower colon and rectum can result in tears, haemorrhoids, dehydration, diarrhoea, bloating, cramping, increased infection risk and can affect the microbiome of the GI tract.

• Try to urinate after sex to reduce the risk of UTIs - especially if you have a vagina or short urethral tract. 

  • This is because there is some evidence that urinating after intercourse may help flush bacteria from the urethra as a result of intercourse or sexual activities and reduce the risk of getting a urinary tract infection (UTI)​

• Don't skip or delay regular STI, sexual health and physical examinations and tests.

  • Many infections have lengthy incubation or detection periods which necessitates regular testing.

  • Schedule your testing on a regular schedule according to the recommendations of your health professionals and providers,

• If you’re unsure or uncomfortable, we recommend not proceeding until you are satisfied that you are informed about any situation and able to proceed based on the information available to you.

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Testing & Examinations:

• We recommend having regular smear tests, pelvic exams and periodic tests for STIs.

• Be aware of your partner's body. Look for signs of a sore, blister, rash, discharge or other irregularities such as lumps, texture changes and changes in sensation.

• Check your body frequently for signs of a sore, blister, rash, discharge or other irregularities such as lumps, texture changes and changes in sensation.

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Alternative Activities:

• Consider sexual activities other than vaginal, oral, or anal sex. These are techniques that do not involve the exchange of body fluids or contact between mucous membranes.

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Venue Posters & Information:

• There are numerous posters for Fiendish displayed in the venue that discuss Safer Sex topics, alongside other areas such as informed consent, RACK/SSC and event rules.

• We have posters directing attendees to various sexual health resources, such as self-serve STI testing locations, sexual health clinics and support groups in the local area.

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Useful Links & Resources:

Bristol Unity Sexual Health - https://www.unitysexualhealth.co.uk/

Brook Bristol (Unity Partnership) - https://www.brook.org.uk/regions/brook-bristol/#gethelpfromBrookBristol

Better2Know Bristol Clinic - https://www.better2know.co.uk/clinics/city/bristol

Terrence Higgins Trust - https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv-and-sexual-health/sexual-health

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) - https://www.awp.nhs.uk/

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