Sex During the Time of COVID-19

Let's start this posting with a warning; despite the fact that all of the material is directly extracted from government sources, some people may find the subject matter NSFW.

Back in 1967 when Canada's then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was campaigning for changes to the Criminal Code which would have seen the decriminalization of "homosexual acts", he made the following comment:

 

 

Let's repeat that:

 

"There's no room for the state in the bedrooms of the nation...."

 

While that sentiment may have carried water in 1967, it certainly has proven not to be the case during the "Era of COVID-19" as you will see in this posting.  The same governments that are telling you where to stand, where to line up, who you can associate with and how far away from them you must remain,  when and how many of you can visit family members with life-limiting conditions, how many people you can have at a family funeral, what you can buy and where you must be masked/muzzled has taken a much-ignored foray into the "bedrooms of the nation".

 

Let's start with Canada's own British Columbia.  Here is a screen capture from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control or BCCDC webpage on "COVID-19 and Sex":

 

 

The BCCDC starts out by noting that sex can be very important for mental, social and physical well-being and is a part of everyday life.  That said, it claims the following:

 

"The virus has been found in semen and feces (poop). It is not yet known if the virus is found in blood or internal genitalia/vaginal fluids. It is not yet clear if the virus can be transmitted through sex. You are your safest sex partner; your next-safest sex partner(s) is/are the person(s) you live with, or the person(s) who has close contact with only you and no one else."

 

Given that, what sexual activities does the BCCDC recommend?  Here they are:

 

"1.) Masturbating: You are your safest sex partner. Masturbating by yourself (solo sex) will not spread COVID-19. If you masturbate with a partner(s), physical distancing will lower your chance of getting COVID-19.

 

2.) Virtual Sex: Video dates, phone chats, sexting, online chat rooms and group cam rooms are ways to engage in sexual activity with no chance of spreading COVID-19.  Be aware of the risks of sharing information or photos online, and web camming. Some people do not share personal information or show their face or other identifiable body parts, for more privacy.

 

3.) Sex with partner(s): Having 1, or a few, regular sex partner(s) can help lower the chances of being exposed to COVID-19. Talk with your sex partner(s) about:

 

a.) The types of sexual activities you want to have with them, and

 

b.) The precautions that you can each take to make sex safer for you and your sex partner(s), like wearing a mask and social distancing, and

 

c.) Whether you or your sex partner(s), or anyone you are in contact with, have a higher chance of getting a more serious COVID-19 illness (such as someone with an underlying medical condition like diabetes, lung disease, cancer or a weakened immune system)."

 

So much for the parental/pastoral/priestly admonishment that masturbation led directly to blindness or worse.   Of course, if you absolutely insist on having sex, the braintrust at the BCCDC has the following recommendations for steps that you can take to protect yourself during sex, some of which sound rather kinky:

 

"Before and after sex:

 

1.) Wash your body with soap and water.

 

2.) Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

 

3.) Wash sex toys thoroughly per the manufacturer’s instructions. Most, but not all, can be cleaned with mild unscented soap and water. Do not share them with multiple partners.

 

4.) Wear a face covering or mask. Heavy breathing during sex can create more droplets that may transmit COVID-19.

 

5.) Avoid or limit kissing and saliva exchange.

 

6.) Choose sexual positions that limit face-to-face contact.

 

7.) Use barriers, like walls (e.g., glory holes), that allow for sexual contact but prevent close face-to-face contact.

 

8.) Using condoms, lubricant, and dental dams may help to further reduce the chances by minimizing contact with saliva, semen, feces, blood and/or internal genitalia/vaginal fluids during sex.

 

I realize that some of you may not be familiar with the recommendation made under the use of barriers, particularly "glory holes".  Thanks to Wikipedia, here is a definition of "glory hole":

"A glory hole (also spelled gloryhole and glory-hole) is a hole in a thin partition, such as a wall, often between public lavatory cubicles or adult video arcade booths and lounges, for people to engage in sexual activity or observe the person in the next cubicle while one or both parties masturbate.

 

Glory holes are especially associated with gay male culture, and anal or oral sex. The partition maintains anonymity. Some gay websites offer directories of glory holes."

 

Here is a photo of a glory hole for your further illumination:

Now, should you happen to think that getting involved with people's sex lives during the COVID-19 pandemic is just a West Coast, Canada thing, the State of New York has also released this document on "Safer Sex and COVID-19":

 

 

You will note that I highlighted the pertinent portions that are similar to the recommendations of the BCCDC, particularly the use of "physical barriers, like walls" (i.e. the aforementioned glory holes).  It's increasingly looking like this could be the sex toy of the future and, fortunately for all of us, they just happen to be on sale:

 

 

We really are living in an alternate reality.  While Pierre Trudeau's 1960's mantra of the state staying out of the bedrooms of their citizens worked very well in the past, apparently, in the "new normal", the state feels perfectly justified in prescribing what type of sex we should be having and how and with whom we should be having it.