You may have seen the alarming articles in the media over the past couple of weeks, proclaiming that Science has discovered that using lube during anal sex is a non-refundable one-way ticket to an STI. As is often the way with media outlets, genuinely useful (though inconclusive) research gets distilled down into quick and sensationalist sound bytes designed to scare the pants off (or in this case, back on) us. Or as Cory Silverberg says in his very cogent and thoughtful analysis of this research and the ensuing media blitz, “don’t put away that lube bottle just yet (and probably you won’t be putting it away ever). Remember that collecting data, interpreting it, and reporting on it are three very different activities.”
This is very preliminary research using very small sample sizes, not to mention a methodology that is not equipped to make such a grand conclusion even remotely logical. And though the studies raise a lot of interesting and heretofore unasked questions about lube usage and its effects on human sexual activity, the message surrounding the practice of safer sex really hasn’t changed. Use condoms with your lube. End of story.
But seriously, read his article, check out the links. It’s important to be informed.
