Explore SHAPE Europe’s blog for expert insights, community stories, and in-depth perspectives on sexual health advocacy and peer engagement initiatives.
It is impossible to discuss queer sexual health without acknowledging the deep, lingering scars of the early HIV/AIDS epidemic. For the older generation of the LGBTQ+ community, the hard-fought sexual liberation of the 1970s was violently interrupted by a virus that decimated an entire demographic while global governments and medical institutions largely looked the other way.
The intersection of substance use and sexuality—often referred to as "chemsex" or "party and play" (PnP)—is a complex reality. It involves the intentional use of substances (such as methamphetamine, GHB/GBL, or mephedrone) immediately before or during sex to facilitate, prolong, or enhance the sexual experience.
