By Zachary Winstead | Staff Writer
The Christmas season is one of the two times a year Lebanon welcomes planes full of Ex-pats and visitors alike. It is an exciting time to visit loved ones and enjoy the holidays in the Cedar Land. But, after the gifts have been opened and the family time has grown old. A flood of fresh faces blesses our apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and Grindr, all looking for a different taste of Lebanon. While locals that live here enjoy this exciting time surrounded by new people, we might hear an all-too-common phrase: “Are you clean?”. Personally, I shower every day and enjoy a coarse loofah with saboon balidi. So, yes, I am clean. Unfortunately, this is not the intent of this question. Clean is a short-hand term that refers to a potential partner’s hookup’s, or acquaintance’s sexual health status. Sadly, the usage of the word unknowingly promotes a culture of stigma and shame around something as common as sexually transmitted infection(s) (STIs).
Full disclaimer, I am an American. Some readers might think: “Just another sensitive American lecturing people on such an innocent phrase”. But is it? Hookup culture is commonly found around the world and in Lebanon, and is that a negative thing? Of course not. In this day and age, we have the world at our fingertips, and with this kind of access, we can indulge in all the world’s pleasures. However, being sexually active comes with some consequences like; falling in love, getting into a situationship, becoming pregnant, or contracting an STI. To protect yourself from potentially contracting an STI while being sexually active, you could; wear protection, use Prep (Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV), get tested, talk to your doctor, and most importantly educate yourself on the matter through credible sources. Unfortunately, While a condom will protect against most things (i.e. STIs, when worn properly during vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse), it does not protect against emotional feelings. For all the “Sides” (a common term used in gay hookup culture referring to a person who only engages in nonpenetrative sexual intercourse, except for oral sex) and people into “soft sex” (non-penetrative intercourse), yes! It Is still possible to contract STIs from unprotected oral sex, contact with seminal or vaginal fluids, and of course blood. So if you are into Soft Sex, you are not exempt from this conversion. Ultimately, we are all just a clump of cells that are susceptible to viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi infections some of which are labeled as STIs, this is our great equalizer as humans.
So why not use “clean” for your next sexual encounter? The word clean in the English language according to Oxford Languages has a definition of: Morally uncontaminated; pure; or innocent. It can also be used to describe the physical appearance of an object that is free of dirt or contamination. As a verb, it can be used to describe the action of actively removing dirt or stains from an object. As humans, we can wash ourselves to remove dirt or contaminants from the skin, hair, nails, or teeth. In a religious context “clean” refers to spiritual purification, and moving away from moral dirtiness, and we all know how most religions feel about hooking up. But, this perversion of the word clean is weaponized in society to judge one on their sexual health status. This is a poor attempt to link morality with other sex lives via an innocent word such as clean. Moreover, after the HIV crisis in the United States, clean started to be co-opted by the gay community to determine one’s HIV status. This has many effects on society unknowingly, the main one is the stigma, which affects all of us from talking about sex or STIs and getting treated if needed. Two promotes shame and discrimination for those who are HIV positive, especially in the gay community from seeking help. This culminates in the farthing of STIs throughout the gay and straight communities. To be honest not all of these “straight” men are as straight as you think ladies So, stigma and shame put you at risk too. So, dropping the word clean from our vocabulary might help make our sex lives more open, safe, and shame-free.
With that in mind this holiday season, you are not clean if you are negative for STIs and you are not dirty if you have and or are living with an STI, you are just a human. So, this New Year may all acquaintances, bad hookups, and the usage of the word clean be forgotten. The most important thing is to be honest, be safe, and have fun in 2024, and remember, if you do receive an unwanted gift this giving season, there are anonymous and judge-free resources (i.e. Marsa, and SIDC contact information listed below) to help. whatever you do, do not go to the pharmacy and take any antibiotics, lie to your partner, or refuse to get regularly tested. No matter what you have, who you are, where you are from, or what you do in your free time, you are entitled to respect and a sex life free from the word “clean”.
Resources To Help:
SIDC Lebanon Address: Sin El Fil, Youssef El Hayek St. Confidence Center, 3rd floor, Beirut, Lebanon. Phone: +961 1 482 428 | +961 1 480 714 | +961 70 498 229 Instagram: @sidc.lebanon Email: info@sidc-lebanon.org Marsa Address: Badaro, Rue Sabak Al Kheil, Beirut, Lebanon. Phone: +961 1 380515 | +961 70 953 620 Instagram: @Marsashc Email: visitus@marsa.me