Advocating for Yourself Is Hot, Actually
Sexual Health Week is a good reminder that sexual health is not just about appointments, prescriptions, or ticking boxes on a form. It is about autonomy, confidence, and knowing you are allowed to take up space in your own care. Being informed, asking questions, and setting boundaries is not awkward or annoying, but it is a skill that takes a lot of practice.
Self-advocacy starts with the understanding that you deserve clear information, respectful care, and complete choice about your body. It looks like asking questions, requesting specific tests, and deciding what works for you based on your life, not someone else’s assumptions. For many people, especially those who are queer, trans, racialized, disabled, or living in rural communities, self-advocacy is often the difference between getting care and being dismissed.
Testing is one of the most common places where self-advocacy matters. Regular STI testing is an important part of sexual health, but it only works when people understand what tests actually show. Some infections, including HIV, hepatitis C, and syphilis, are commonly detected through antibody tests. Antibodies take time to develop. That means a test taken shortly after an exposure can come back negative even if an infection is present. Best practice is to repeat testing about three months later to get accurate results. Asking for follow-up testing is a great way to protect your health.
Harm reduction is another key part of sexual health, even though it is often missing from conversations. Harm reduction recognizes that people have sex for many reasons and in many ways, and that care should focus on reducing risk rather than judging behaviour. It does not demand abstinence, perfection, or shame. It is about practical tools, honest information, and meeting people where they are.
Harm reduction can look like access to condoms, regular and repeat testing, timely treatment, and prevention options that people are actually going to use. It also means trusting that people are capable of making good decisions when they have accurate information. One harm-reduction option some people may hear about is doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, often called Doxy-PEP. Doxy-PEP is an option that people use after sex to lower the risk of bacterial sexually transmitted infections. If this medication is something that interests you, ask your provider about it, understand the benefits and limitations, and decide if it feels right for you.
Many of the tools people rely on today exist because communities shared information long before healthcare systems caught up. Community-led care has always stepped in where institutions were slow, exclusionary, or harmful. From peer education to grassroots advocacy, sexual health has been shaped by people looking out for each other and refusing to stay quiet. Caring for yourself and your community has always gone hand in hand.
Self-advocacy does not have to be loud or confrontational to be powerful. It can look like asking why a test is being done, requesting additional screening, or saying you want more information before starting or declining a medication. It can also mean bringing notes to an appointment, taking someone you trust with you, or finding a different provider when something does not feel right. Confidence in your care is a skill, and skills can be learned.
When people are informed and supported, they are better able to make decisions that align with their values, their relationships, and their lives. During Sexual Health Week, learning about harm reduction, understanding testing timelines, and sharing knowledge within your community are meaningful acts of care.
Self-advocacy should not be required just to survive the healthcare system, but until care is equitable and accessible for everyone, information remains a powerful tool. Sharing what you know helps others feel less alone and more confident. And confidence, especially when it comes to your body and your health, is hot.
