A new CSP article examines the experiences of adolescents in a working-class neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, and reveals how cis girls, trans girls, and cis boys experience sexual initiation in different ways.
Most reported having become sexually active before the age of 15. Among cis and trans girls, virginity is still associated with the idea of “loss,” pain, and social judgment. Even when they express a desire for more freedom, the fear of being devalued persists. Among cis boys, however, sexual initiation was described with less emotional depth but was marked by pressures to meet expectations of masculinity, which can hinder the planning of safe sexual practices.
The study also highlights barriers to family dialogue and guidance limited almost exclusively to condom use, revealing gaps in sex education.
📍Check it out: https://cadernos.ensp.fiocruz.br/ojs/index.php/csp/article/view/10502