Sex positivity is a great thing. While there are many reasons people choose to have sex pleasure, pleasing others, intimacy, stress relief, escape, or self-validation , there are plenty of other ways to meet these reasons without having sex. More importantly, being purely and wholly disinterested in sexual activity is a choice that needs to be respected. So, in a world that oversimplifies sex, it may be helpful to understand what never having sex really means and how to explain it to others.

I get really attached to someone after we sleep together. Really attached. I'm not ready to tell you about my herpes status. I'm not ready to be disappointed by what appears to be your smaller than average member. Have you been in this situation before?

This includes touching, since some STDs can be spread from skin-to-skin contact. In general, STDs are highly preventable. However, a large number of those infections could be avoided if people made different decisions about their sexual health. The only guaranteed method to prevent STDs is to abstain from all sexual contact. When engaging in sexual activity, there are steps people can take to limit their risk of STDs.