A few drinks into our evening out together, my friend confessed that a girl he is sleeping with asked him to stop laughing during sex.  “Sometimes I can’t help it,” he admitted, “sex IS funny.”

The non-abstainers of our generation have likely experienced the throes of awkward and, well, downright hilarious intercourse.  Sometimes the couch is too small, his shirt is too tight, and getting her bra off is a job fit for a bomb squad.

We’re losing our virginity earlier than our folks, and having kinkier, more adventurous time doing it. But this ultra-casual approach to love-making comes with notable drawbacks.  The same immaturity that makes for LOL sex can also make for unpleasant, potentially dangerous, decisions.

The good news is the simple solution can ultimately lead to better sex, while gaining you some overdue respect in the sack.  When was he/she last tested?  Have there been partners since?  These are uncomfortable questions, but nowhere near as upsetting as the consequences of withholding sexual history.

Being STD-free does not let you off the hook.  Sometimes those questions are the only way to find out about your significant other’s between-the-sheets stats. Take initiative!  Don’t waste your time with distractions like waiting for test results.

There is nothing unattractive about making sure you and your significant other are protected.  I am a miniskirt-wearing, thigh-high-fearless, sexually responsible young woman.  The men I meet seem appreciate the two together.

“You’re clean, right?”

This question has given me the ability to make safer choices.  Condom or no condom, know what you are getting into, (or what’s getting into you), before taking it to bed.

This is a guest blog post by Kate O’Connor Morris

Kate O’Connor Morris is a writer, editor, and expert cheese-eater working out of her hometown Brooklyn.  Aside from her time taken up by cheese endeavors, Kate enjoys wandering the streets of New York with a beat-up notebook.  Kate became invested in HIV prevention while working at Brooklyn’s Legal Aid Society.  Her great influences are Meat Cat, Bernie the harbor seal, and boarding trains headed in the complete wrong direction.