Dylan Bush is a transgender man and a journalist who has spent his career reporting on the people that society is quick to cast aside such as sex workers, prisoners and drug users.
This article is part of an African Alliance series celebrating 25 years of the inner condom in South Africa and the people who helped to establish the world’s biggest state-funded inner condom project.
Years of experience have shown Dylan Bush the profound health dangers that exist for people who lead their lives on the outskirts of what is deemed an ‘acceptable’.
They’re likely to face discrimination, violence, and many other hurdles that make it harder for them to access social and health support services.
Health systems around the world have a long way to go to create responsive services and tools for these groups. Inclusion, he believes, should be a priority right from when a new health innovation comes into being.
That’s why the future of an HIV prevention tool such as the FC2 female condom must include research that reflects the diversity of the people who might use them.
Thus far, the device has not been tested to check its safety during anal sex, but we know that people are already using it as protection that way. Those people (and of course people of all genders and sexualities) have anal sex and all deserve to have high quality data to inform their decisions.
Do you need more information about why ‘double bagging’ is riskier than using just one condom? Get in touch with us on X and Instagram. We’re at @Afri_Alliance on both platforms.