It’s been a while
I know, it’s been a bit since I updated with a blog post and so much has changed. I stopped updating the blog because I find it easier to post from my PC and for the past couple of years I’ve been working/writing almost exclusively from my phone.
I’m going to jump right in with talking about my current WIPs (and yeah, there are several in the works because focusing on a single task has not been my strong suit lately, they will eventually get finished). For the moment, I am prioritizing finishing my Summer of Adventures contemporary kinky romance series.
The next book, Service Call, features Tate (the best friend/brother to the MCs from Knotty Boy. His love interest is a trans man. And that’s sort of what prompted me to write this post. Fair warning, I am about to talk about STIs and genitals, so if that’s not your thing, click away.
Still here? Cool. I try to write sex scenes that address STI risk in some way, whether with testing or condoms or at a bare minimum discussing risks with a new partner. (We had discussion about why in my FB group, so check it out if you’re interested). But it turns out the answer to “can you get/transmit STIs after phalloplasty” is basically, we don’t really know, but we assume not since it’s not made of mucosal tissue.
Unless of course mucosal tissue was used for the urethra or grafts (like for scrotoplasty), and then we think the risk is present, but low. Also, if the person with the phalloplasty still has a vagina or is the receptive partner for anal, then they are at the usual risk of STIs with those organs (and yeah it is possible to have lower surgery and not remove the original parts in case you’re curious).
So basically, we don’t know and they (CDC and other public health organizations) don’t collect the information that would allow us to get an answer that is anything other than anecdotal. It’s frustrating, and that seems to be the norm for most a lot of health questions trans folks have.
The one clear answer I’ve found for this particular concern is that it’s a good idea to use condoms to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections post-phallo, because that is increased due to the lack of smooth muscle in the neo-urethra and PrEP/PEP are potentially a good idea depending on an individual’s risk profile.
And I’m posting about it here because stuff like this makes it feel like trans folks are invisible and writing novels with trans characters makes me feel like I’m at least doing something to make us that little bit more real and relatable. So, if you want to read the characters that got me started on researching this little detail, check out Service Call (available soon). As I mentioned above, it’s the third book in my contemporary kinky romance series Summer of Adventures.
