There has been an increase in the number of teenagers and young people looking for treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Environmental Science and Research figures show men aged 20-24 and women aged 15-19 have the highest rates of the most common infections – Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia. The ESR figures offer breakdowns based on sex and ethnicity, but there is nothing to indicate the sexuality of the young people seeking treatment. However Rainbow Youth executive director Thomas Hamilton points out the Youth '07 Health and Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in New Zealand recognised queer youth are more likely than opposite sex attracted students to be sexually active. "Less than half of same or both sex attracted males used a condom the last time they had sex and same or both sex attracted students were three times more likely as opposite sex attracted students to have had a sexually transmitted infection," he says. Family Planning's national medical advisor Dr Christine Roke says there are definitely more young people coming in seeking a 'warrant of fitness'. "We don't see lots of homosexual men and we haven't particularly seen an increase in lesbian women. There are more people coming in for checks, and we don't routinely ask people about their orientation - but it can come up quite often when we talk about things like contraception." Dr Roke says young people coming forward to get tested is a good thing and the checks are simple, with women able to get STI tests as they get smears and also take their own Chlamydia swabs. "We very much encourage it. Chlamydia in particular has no symptoms and is so easy to treat, so why wouldn't you check?" She has simple advice for anyone having sex – be careful and think about how you are going to protect yourself. "Use protection, especially if you are with a new person or someone you don't know. If you have a partner, talk about protection with them." Dr Roke says for anyone who has had a risky sexual relationship, it is well worth getting checked. She says people do not need to be daunted about getting tested and should bear with Family Planning staff as they ask a list of important questions about timing and circumstances. Hamilton says it's clear young people are accessing clinics for STI treatments, but questions whether they have access to relevant information about their sexuality or gender identity. "This is the space that is instrumental in teaching young people how to have safe, sexual, healthy lives and visibility about sexuality and gender identity diversity is essential in these clinic environments.” Dr Roke says Family Planning staff welcome the opportunity to talk about what is on a client's mind including sexuality and gender issues. "We want people to experience satisfying sexual experiences while keeping themselves and their partners safe."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 15th July 2010 - 10:23am