On this page, we talk about:
- sexual health
-
how everyone has the
to understand and explore their sexual health.
Rights are rules about how people must treat you:
- fairly
- equally.
What sexual health is
Sexual health includes your right to:
- choose what happens to your body
- understand what choices you have
- find and use health care services.
It also includes:
- knowing how to have safe sex and be healthy
- deciding if you want to be pregnant.
When you learn about sexual health, it can help you make decisions about the type of sexual experiences you want to have.
Sexual health is about managing
STIs are health problems that people can get through sexual activity.
This includes knowing how to:
- stop yourself from getting an STI
- treat an STI.
Sexual health is also about taking part in sexual activities:
- that are healthy and legal
- that give everyone pleasure
-
where everyone gives their
When you give your consent, you say it is okay for someone to do something.
Your can also be part of your sexual health.
Your gender is what you feel and understand about who you are as a person.
You might think of yourself as a man or woman or something different.
You can choose the words that are right for you.
Sexual health is important for everyone.
This includes if you have a disability.
Everyone has the right to get information about:
- sexual health
- their body.
Why it is important to learn about sex
Some people might feel less comfortable talking about their bodies than other people.
And some people might not have the right words to talk about:
- sex
- their sexual health.
This can lead to people not having safe sex.
For example, they might:
- get an STI
- get pregnant when they do not want to.
It can also lead to people not knowing:
- what to do when they have a sexual experience
- how to receive or share sexual pleasure
- which words they should use to talk about people’s bodies
- how to get the healthcare they need.
It can also lead to people not knowing how to tell other people about
Sexual harassment is when someone:
- makes sexual comments about you
- behaves in a sexual way towards you.
Learning about sex and sexual health can help people understand consent.
You can find out more on our page about consent.
Supporting people with disability to make their own choices
People with disability have the right to be
When you are independent, you can do things:
- for yourself
- on your own.
This includes being able to make their own choices about sex and their sexual health.
Some people think that people with disability:
- should not have sex
- do not have sexual feelings
- should not have children
- would be bad parents.
Some people might not let people with disability make their own decisions.
For example, decisions about:
- going to the doctor to check their sexual health
- having sex in private.
People can also make people with disability feel uncomfortable about their:
- gender
-
Your sexuality includes:
- who you are attracted to
- the sexual feelings and thoughts you have
- the sexual activities you want to do.
This can lead to people with disability not being able to make decisions:
- about what they want
- with the right information.
It is important to help the person you support to make these types of decisions for themselves.
We call this supported decision‑making.
You can find out more on our page about supported decision‑making.
You can support people with disability to get information about sexual health.
You can find out more about resources to learn about sexual health on the SECCA website.
