HIM is a nonprofit society that aims to strengthen the health and well-being in communities of self-identified GBQ men and gender diverse people in BC.
More Than Sex
More Than Sex is a guide about queer sex, diverse bodies, health and our communities. It shares information to help navigate a queer world, learn about different kinds of sex, explore sexual health and pleasure, and start conversations about some of the forces and experiences that shape our lives as queer people.
Who Led us in This Work?
More Than Sex is rooted in the guidance, leadership, and hard work of a Steering and Leadership Committee. This committee is made up of community leaders who are trans men, non-binary, and/or Two-Spirit. From the specific language to the style of the graphics and the original characters featured, More Than Sex was shaped by these community leaders who shared their time, energies, and experience to help guide the development of More Than Sex.
Audience and Limitations
Queer sex and experience mean so many different things that we could not possibly cover everything in one resource. More Than Sex speaks to parts of what queer sex can mean, and some experiences that we may have when navigating queer sex, whatever our body or identity.
One of the joys of queerness is that we all do it a little differently. Our bodies, identities, and experiences vary, based on so many parts of our lives, including our racial identity, where we live, and how our bodies and minds experience the world. This resource certainly does not speak to all of queer sex, or even all of us who have queer sex. More Than Sex centres language and content that is more inclusive and speaks to some of the experiences of trans gay men and non-binary people, who are too often excluded from sexual health resources aimed at cis gay men.
This resource is based on the experiences and preferences of our community Steering and Leadership Committee, but we know there are many whose experiences will not be represented here. In particular, More Than Sex does not have as much information specific to feminine people, including femme folks born with a penis, when it comes to sexual health and gender-affirming care. As we continue to add more content to this resource, we are looking at including more perspectives from transfeminine people in our communities. We welcome suggestions from readers about topics and experiences to include as we continue to update More Than Sex and the work we do as an organization.
Don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected]. This is a resource by community for community.
Language in More Than Sex
More Than Sex prioritizes language and content that is more inclusive and speaks to the experiences of community members who are too often excluded from sexual health resources aimed at cis gay men. More than any other resource HIM has released in the past, More Than Sex speaks to the diversity of experiences and needs of community members. We have focused on the experiences of our community Steering and Leadership Committee, but even committee members had different experiences and preferences and so we know there are many people whose experiences will not be represented here.
This means we might read about our own body, and also read about bodies that are different from our own. We might also find that our body is not fully represented in this resource. Regardless of our bodies, there are many people who identify with the community work done by HIM, and we created this resource for all people who identify with our work. It is our hope to diversify the ways we talk about bodies, and get into the truth about how diverse we need to be when we talk about sex – making our communities more friendly, inclusive as well as sex and body positive.
Everyone is comfortable with different language to talk about their bodies, and some people will disagree with the language we’ve used here. This resource offers language that reflects the leadership and advice of More Than Sex’s Steering & Leadership Committee, and our own experience in health promotion. However, each person is the expert of our own body and whatever language we or our partners use is the best language to use in day-to-day life.
Sections of More Than Sex
Even if we think we have things figured out, More Than Sex may have some pleasant surprises, whether a new tidbit of information or a fresh perspective. More Than Sex was written so we could look at any one section (or topic within a section) without having to read what came before it.
So take a look around and if a topic catches our eye, we may discover that there are some things we may not know about:
NAVIGATING A QUEER WORLD will let us in on some information that we might need as we explore queer spaces, norms, and people.
From tips on having a fun night out at gay bars, how consent plays into sex and intimacy, to a step-by-step guide to anal douching, and a discussion on the discrimination many of us still face from our queer peers.
SEXUAL ACTIVITIES explores the ins and outs of all of the fun and satisfying ways we can be intimate with sexual partners and ourselves!
Tips on giving an amazing rim job, making sure that hot anal session doesn’t end with more than we bargained for, the basics of fisting, and a lot more.
SEXUAL HEALTH STRATEGIES runs through the different tools and strategies to choose from to have sex that works for us and partners.
Today, we have options like HIV medications for treatment and prevention (like PrEP and PEP) that prevent HIV transmission, physical barriers like condoms, gloves, and dental dams, and the ways good communication between partners can help build intimacy and lead to pleasurable sex.
MENTAL AND SOCIAL HEALTH is a deep-dive on the forces and systems that affect our lives and well-being as queer people.
Ever wonder how stigma, trauma, and stress tied to being queer in a society that’s mostly heterosexual and cisgender impact us? Find out, and also discover ways we can resist these forces and build stronger communities together.
HIV AND STIs 101 is our go-to place for all things STIs, including HIV.
Want to find out all the ways HIV and other STIs like gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, or hepatitis go from one person to another? More importantly, we’ll see all of the different ways we can prevent transmitting HIV and STIs, and treatment options if we need them.
LOCAL RESOURCES connects us to organizations across BC that can offer tailored health and wellness services, including social connection.
More Than Sex was created in consultation with community members, as well as health and community care providers. In particular, we thank our volunteers and community members for sharing their stories, images and labour. We also thank our amazing community partners: Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health Authority, Interior Health Authority, Island Health Authority, Northern Health Authority, Providence Health Care, Trans Care BC, and Public Health Agency of Canada.
The GLOSSARY section goes through some of the more specific language we use in More Than Sex and gives a full definition.
We know some of the content will be very familiar to some and very new for others. No matter how much we know or don’t know already, we know there’ll be information and perspectives in More Than Sex that can be of use to all of us!
