RFSL Nyanlända Broschyr 2016-03-03
RFSL Nyanlända Broschyr 2016-03-03
AND RIGHTS
IN SWEDEN
Publisher: RFSL
Layout: Andreas Eriksson
Illustrations: Bitte Andersson
Print: tta 45
Stockholm, 2016
Contents
INTRODUCTION 5
SAFER SEX 21
GLOSSARY 29
Introduction
RFSL
RFSL is the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ
Rights. Were a non-governmental organisation
with the goal of a society where everyone, re-
gardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or
gender expression, will have the same rights.
GLOSSARY
Have a look at the glossary at the end. Words in
the text that lean , can be found there.
5.
Health care
and Sexual
Rights in Sweden
AGE OF CONSENT
In Sweden, anyone who is 15 years old or older can agree to have
sex. This is called consenting to sexual acts. There is no law against
same sex sexual practises.
6.
GET TESTED
You can get tested for HIV and STD:s at any
healthcare centre in Sweden. You have the right
to an interpreter at no cost when you visit any
healthcare centre.
7.
ing at the Migration Agency might have to contact a clinic on their
own to get a check-up.
The health check-up is voluntary. During the check-up the doc-
tor will talk about your health, take a blood test and maybe exam-
ine your body. You can ask for a doctor of a specific gender.
8.
9.
FAMILY PLANNING
Contraceptives gives everyone control over when to have a child,
and are widely available. A visit to a clinic to get advice or prescrip-
tions for contraceptives is always free, but you have to pay for the
contraceptive.
If you have had unprotected vaginal sex and are worried about
pregnancy, you can take a morning after pill to prevent pregnan-
cy. The pill is called Akut p-piller and can be bought at a pharmacy.
If you are younger than 25, you can visit the nearest youth guidance
centre to get this pill for free. You need to take this pill no later than
72 hours after sex.
Abortion is legal in Sweden up to the 18th week of the pregnancy,
and doctors may not talk about their patients visits to someone
outside the hospital. No one, not even your parents or married
partner, can get information about your visits to the hospital.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted you should call the
police or visit your nearest emergency unit at a hospital. It is best to
go there as quickly as possible to collect evidence and get support.
Having sex with a person that is very drunk or unconscious is
considered rape by law.
10.
RAPE
Anyone can experience rape, regardless of gen-
der identity or sexual orientation.
SELLING SEX
It is legal to sell sex in Sweden, but illegal to pay for sex. Helping
others to sell sex is also illegal, even by giving out contact infor-
mation to a sexworker. A landlord can evict somebody from their
home if theyre selling sex there.
TRAFFICKING
It is a crime to force someone into having sex with others. Those
who are in a situation where they are forced to have sex with others,
can contact the police or the social services (Socialtjnsten) to get
help. There is also mika mottagning, a clinic specialised in provid-
ing help to sexworkers and vicims of trafficking. Be aware that if
you are undocumented, you might be forced to leave the country
if you are in contact with an authority. An undocumented migrant
should instead get in touch with a non-govermental organisation
such as Ingen Mnniska r Illegal.
11.
12.
HIV
and Sexually
Transmitted
diseases
13.
A good way to protect yourself and your partners from std:s is
practicing safer sex, and getting tested regularly.
The Swedish Communicable Diseases Act (Smittskyddslagen)
gives you the right to get free testing and free treatment for hiv,
hepatitis b and c, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.
14.
HIV
hiv is a virus that attacks the bodys immune system. Most people
living with hiv today have long and healthy lives.
The risk of transmission depends on how high the viral load in
the body is. In the beginning of the infection viral loads are high,
and there is a high risk of transmission. If you have a well function-
ing treatment, your viral load will be very low, making the risk of
transmitting hiv to someone else close to zero.
The Communicable Disease Act forces hiv-positive individuals
to tell their partners about their hiv status before having sex, but a
doctor can remove this rule if a person has an extremely low viral
load and practises safer sex.
hiv can turn into aids if its not treated. When it becomes aids,
the immune system will be very weak, and the body could get
infections and diseases that can become very serious and lead to
death. People with aids can get treatment to reduce the viral loads,
and turn it into hiv.
15.
Transmission can also occur when:
sharing needles
a sufficient amount of HIV positive blood en-
ters a body through wounds
hiv is more common among men having sex with men in Sweden.
hiv often has no symptoms. Some people may get a high fever,
rashes, and a sore throat 24 weeks after they get the infection. If
youve had unprotected sex and feel those symptoms after a few
weeks, you can get tested at a healthcare centre.
CHLAMYDIA
16.
urethra can cause a burning sensation when urinating. Chlamyd-
ia in the anus can cause itching or cause bleeding during bowel
movements. Chlamydia in the vagina can cause discharge, and
chlamydia in the throat may in some cases cause a sore throat.
Chlamydia in the eye can cause red eyes and itching. If you dont
treat genital chlamydia, it can become more difficult for you to
have a biological child.
GONORRHEA
17.
HEPATITIS
SYPHILIS
18.
membranes and through blood. During the first year the infection
can be transmitted very easily between persons.
If you are a man having sex with men, we advise you to get tested
for syphilis every three, six or twelve months to be on the safe side.
When you take an hiv test, ask them to test for syphilis at the same
time. If you have syphilis you will be treated at hospital.
Syphilis has very few symptoms. Some people may get wounds
where the bacteria have entered the body, usually on the mouth, anus,
dick or pussy. Others may get fever, feel tired, feel sick or lose hair.
HERPES
The herpes virus is very common, and for most people quite harm-
less, but the sores can be painful. The infection can transfer between
genitals, or between the mouth and genitals. Herpes transmits very
easily and there are no easy ways to protect oneself from it. There
are medications to treat the sores, but the infection is chronic.
Herpes sores may show up only once, but can also show up at
different times when the immune system is weakened.
19.
HPV
hpv is the short name for human papilloma virus. It is a very com-
mon group of viruses and is transmitted very easily during sex. hpv
can cause cervical cancer for those born with a pussy. There is a
vaccination programme for women up to 27 years old that is free.
Other people can pay to be vaccinated. All who are legally regis-
tered as female get a letter from the healthcare with an invitation
to do a cervical pap smear at regular intervals to prevent the risk of
cancer. If you have a vagina and are registered as a man in Sweden,
you have to contact a healthcare centre to do regular check ups. If
you have a vagina, but no cervix, you dont need pap smears.
hpv often has no symptoms. Some types of the virus cause gen-
ital or anal warts that can be treated, and they also heal by them-
selves after some time.
20.
Safer Sex
There are many ways to be intimate and sexual with your partner or
partners. Tongue kissing, hugging, rubbing your genitals and bodies
against each others and stroking or masturbating the dick and pussy
is considered safer sex. There is also no need to use protection for
fingering or licking a pussy or an anus. Sucking a dick, if you avoid
sperm in your mouth, is also safer. Some std:s like syphilis, chlamydia
and gonorrhea can transmit by sucking a dick. A condom makes oral
sex with a dick safer. Its up to you to decide your level of safety.
You can also use dental dams or gloves if you want to feel extra safe,
though there is no risk of hiv-transmission when touching genitalia
with your bare hands or by licking the pussy. The risk of transmitting
other diseases is also fairly low, even without a dental dam or gloves.
When having penetrative sex with a dick, you should have two
things in order to practice safer sex: condom and lube. A condom
protects from std:s and helps against unwanted pregnancies if
youre having vaginal sex. Lube is a gel that reduces friction, which
helps the condom stay intact. Many people like the feeling of lube
on their genitals, and enjoy the sex more thanks to it.
The risk of transmitting std:s between two pussies is fairly low.
However, chlamydia, herpes and hpv can transmitted, so getting
tested for chlamydia once in a while and going for pap smears when
called by healthcare services is a good idea.
Practicing safer sex is for you to stay healthy, and to protect the
health of the people youre intimate with.
21.
TIPS FOR SAFER SEX
To take care of our sexual health, we all need to
find ways to get our knowledge into action. Here
are some tips that might be useful.
Practice different ways to say to your partners
that you want safer sex, and different ways to
act if your partner should say no.
Have sex in ways that are safer even without
protection, like oral sex, fingering, using toys or
mutual masturbation.
Get tested for STD:s every 3, 6 or 12 months if
youre sexually active.
Drinking too much alcohol and/or taking drugs
affect the judgement regarding safer sex.
If you have a dick and like to have penetrative
sex, find the right condom for you. Practice
putting on a condom and masturbate with it to
get to know how it feels having sex with a con-
dom on your dick.
Keep condoms and lube nearby, or where you
may have sex.
22.
CONDOMS AND LUBE
Some condoms are made to fit a longer dick, others are made to fit
a shorter dick, some are made for a dick that is thick, and some are
made to fit a thin dick.
Condoms have different shapes, they can be straight, or they can
be tighter around the head, or they can be wider around top of the
dick. Those with a dick should try different types and brands to see
what they like and what suits them best. Most condoms are made
of latex; a few condoms are made in non-latex materials. Non-latex
condoms more expensive but are a good alternative if you or any of
your partners are allergic to latex
There are two types of lube that you can use together with con-
doms: water based or silicone based lube. You should not use oil or
other types of fat with condoms because they can break the condom.
Lube is extra important when having anal sex, because the anus can-
not lubricate itself and is generally more fragile than a vagina.
Femidoms can also be used. The dome is a bigger size condom
that is inserted into the anus or pussy before having sex with a dick,
making the sex safer.
23.
TO USE A CONDOM SAFELY:
1. Check that the expiration date has not passed.
Squeeze the package and make sure there is
no air coming out of the package.
2. Open the package only with your fingers.
Opening it with sharp objects might damage
the condom.
3. Roll it out a little bit to make sure it rolls in the
right direction.
4. If you have foreskin, pull it back. Hold the tip
of the condom while you roll it down on your
dick with your other hand. Try to make sure
there is no air between the dick and condom.
5. Adjust the condom so it sits comfortably and
not too tight or too loose.
6. Make sure the condom is rolled down the
whole way to the base of your dick.
7. Apply lube and have sex!
8. Hold on to the condom when pulling out the dick
from the other persons body. Pull off the con-
dom carefully and hold it so the sperm doesnt
spill out of it, if there has been ejaculation.
9. Tie a knot on the condom, and throw it in the bin.
24.
25.
RFSL for you
26.
RESOURCES AND LINKS
Become a member of RFSL and read more at:
rfsl.se
You can get free samples of condoms and lube
at your local RFSL branch, or order them free of
charge from our project The Sexperts:
the-sexperts.org
The Swedish emergency number is 112.
To ask questions about health, call 1177, and you
can get advice from the public healthcare. They
will also arrange an interpreter if you need one.
You can also visit 1177.se, which is available in
many different languages.
27.
28.
Glossary
Foreskin The skin covering the tip of the dick when the dick is
not erect. Some dont have a foreskin due to circumcision.
29.
Penetrative sexA phrase that describes dick in pussy or dick
in anus sex. It can also be called enclosing sex, when the vagina
or the anus encloses a penis.
Sore The sore is a small blister, a balloon that appear on the skin.
In Herpes, these wounds usually appear on the lips or the genitalia.
Swabbing Swabbing is one way to test for std:s that might have
infected a certain part of the body. It is done by gently rubbing
a cotton swab against those parts; mostly the throat, anus and
urethra. Read more about infections in the chapter hiv and sex-
ually transmitted diseases.
30.
31.
This brochure is a guide for
you who are newly arrived
in Sweden and identify as
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans
or queer (LGBTQ).
Read more about protect-
ing yourself from sexually
transmitted diseases, living
with HIV, taking care of your
sexual health and your
rights in Sweden.
Welcome.