STD Prevention: Behavior Change

Safer Sex - Historical Notes

The concept of „safe sex“- now often called „safer sex“ - was developed in the early 1980s by gay physicians concerned about the spread of AIDS in the American gay community. Practicing “safer sex” can prevent infections with sexually transmitted diseases. This has proven true for all kinds of sexual contact, both homosexual and heterosexual. Since many millions of sexual contacts occur every day around the globe*, and since an increasing number of them carry the risk of infection, “safer sex” has remained the most important AIDS prevention strategy to this day.

* It is estimated that ca. 120 million acts of sexual intercourse take place every day around the world.
Source: J. Mackay, The Penguin Atlas of Human Sexual Behavior, 2000, p.20