Protection is the Priority

I really miss the 90s. Not just for the style, lingo and music (some of the best music originated in the 90s. Don’t @ me, I said what I said). Nineties music pumped out bass-driven, sultry promotions of swag, love and S-E-X.  However, I also remember the 90’s being a time where the media really promoted safe sex.  When TLC first came out everyone understood their clear stance on the importance of safe sex. For example, “Protection is the Priority” was their mantra used to promote wrapping it up. It wasn’t just TLC.  Even the “gangster rappers” highlighted the importance of protection. Cue Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Nuthin But a G Thang; “Ain’t no p***y good enough to get burnt while I’m up in it.” I can go on and quote about 50 more safe sex promoting lyrics from the 90s. I told you it’s my favorite music, but I’ll spare you. For now, lol.

Fast forward about 3 decades (geesh I feel old!) and music is basically glorifying unprotected sex! Some of today’s hip hop culture deliver messages basically saying “bitch so bad, had to hit it raw” and “when we makin’ love, girl I just might take the rubber off”. Yikes! Those are just some of the lyrics, verbatim, from some of our favorite artists promoting risky sex. Scary fact; according to the CDC the rates of some sexually transmitted infections, especially chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, are at historical highs!

It would be great if everyone would only engage in sex, after wedding their high school sweetheart -turned -lifelong spouse. In reality, that’s not everyone’s testimony.  Sex happens…whenever, wherever (careful!) but it definitely shouldn’t be “whatever”.

The very real and potential dangers of unsafe sex must be respected. Listen…sharing is not always caring. Nobody wants an itch they can’t scratch, or strange growths below the waistline shared with them. I’m good love…enjoy.  Everything can’t be cured with a quick trip to the clinic and a 7 day bottle of pills. Remember when T-boz spoke on old boy who took a glimpse in the mirror but didn’t recognize his own face on the hit song Waterfalls? Yup, and three letters took him to his final resting place. I’m confident she was speaking of HIV which causes AIDS (four letters). Thanks to medical advances HIV is not necessarily the immediate RIP sentence it once was. However, unless you have Magic Johnson money a HIV diagnosis will lead to inescapable, devastating, lifelong effects. Consequences of risky sex don’t stop at HIV/AIDS.  In fact, even those once easily cured sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea and even syphilis are now showing up resistant to antibiotics or being passed on to innocent newborns. Talk about a generational curse!

In addition to unplanned pregnancy, unsafe sex can lead to a lot of problems, to put it nicely. So, when we have those Crazy, Sexy, Cool moments let’s all be sure to remember ‘No glove, No love’.

FYI: For detailed information on how (and why) to “play” safe. Visit the following links

• https://www.cdc.gov/STD/

• https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/safer-sex

• http://www.ashasexualhealth.org/stdsstis/statistics/