World Sexual Health Day 2025 will be observed on September 4. The theme for this year is "Sexual Justice: What Can We Do?", focusing on raising awareness about sexual health, rights, and justice for all. This day aims to promote education and ensure access to services that support sexual health and well-being.
worldsexualhealthday.org
What is Sexual Justice?
Sexual justice is the pursuit of equity, safety, and human rights in all aspects of sexuality, ensuring everyone can express themselves freely and consensually without discrimination or harm.
Examples of Sexual justice include:
- A woman choosing whether or not to be sexually active without being judged or coerced
- A person accessing healthcare for STIs or contraception without facing stigma
- A queer teen seeking to access inclusive sex education where accurate information is provided and their right to understand and express their sexuality is respected
What are sexual and reproductive rights?
Core sexual/reproductive rights include:
- The right to autonomy and bodily integrity
- The right to consent
- The right to explore and express your sexual orientation and gender identity without fears, stigma or violence
- The right to comprehensive sexuality education that empowers healthy choices
- The right to sexual and reproductive healthcare (contraception, STI testing/treatment, gender-affirming care, abortion services and more)
- The right to privacy (engaging in consensual sexual activity without intrusion/punishment by the government or others)
- The right to live free from violence, coercion, or discrimination
Sexual justice for LGBTQ+ youths
How does a lack of sexual justice affect those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community?
- Higher rates of discrimination and violence
- Lack of inclusive sex education (purely heteronormative, non-inclusive teaching leads to unsafe practices and misinformation for LGBTQ+ individuals)
- More mental health challenges (higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide among LGBTQ+ youth)
- Barriers to healthcare, including discrimination or even outright denial to healthcare
- Legal and policy gaps (where LGBTQ+ identities are criminalise)
Access to information
Access to information is really important to ensure reduction of the risks previously mentioned
Why else is it important?
- It protects healthy and wellbeing
- It fights shame, stigma and isolation
- It builds confidence and self-advocacy
- It promotes equity, creating conditions where everyone can be sexually safe
It enables informed choice and consent. Without information, there is not real autonomy
How can Keele SU empower sexual justice?
- Provide the spaces for marginalised groups to either campaign (LGBTQ+, women, GEM network and more), or find a safe space (all our societies can be found on the Keele SU website)
- Period poverty scheme - providing free period products to use in most of the main buildings on campus
- All undergraduate students can access gender-affirming items through the Access and Success fund, currently lobbying the University to include postgrad students in this too!
- Free contraception in the local Keele Pharmacy next to forest of light, including birth control
- Keele University can also provide sexual violence support with their team of qualified SVLO’s (sexual violence liaison officers). Contact Student Services at student.services@keele.ac.uk
If you have any further ideas of how to amplify empowerment of sexual justice at Keele, let us know su.wellbeingofficer@keele.ac.uk