Sex feels great. Taking drugs, often, feels great too. It’s not that much of a leap to combine the two.

That space where sex and drugs meet is called chemsex, though in the queer and trans community it’s also referred to as “party ’n’ play” or “PnP.” The term finds its root in the question “do you party and play?”—which has become a shorthand on dating and hookup apps to inquire if someone is open to drug use with sex.
 

Though PnP has an association with harder drugs like meth, chemsex includes the taking of any drug to enhance or augment sexual experiences. 

It’s the passing of an MDMA pill between the mouths of passionate lovers. It’s dipping a finger into a bag of cocaine before fingering someone. It’s downing a thimble of GHB before heading to the bathhouse, and yes, it’s even shooting up and jacking off with strangers on webcam.
 

Chemsex can be and look like a lot of different things. One thing’s for sure, though—queer and trans people are doing it.

How do we know that? To start, queer and trans people are more likely to use drugs, period, than straight, cis people. There’s less available data on chemsex specifically due to stigma and confusion around the term, and it doesn’t help that nearly all chemsex research is focused on cis gay and bi men. But of those included in the studies, about a quarter engage in some form of chemsex.
 

“We come into sex with so much baggage as queer people with internalized homophobia, with body dysmorphia, with shame,” says Jordan Bond-Gorr, the coordinator of PnP and chemsex initiatives at the Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance.

Bond-Gorr, who identifies as a regular PnPer, came into this role because other harm reduction or substance use programs just didn’t understand the why behind chemsex for queer people. “It can make sex more intimate, more connected, more extreme, more uninhibited.”
 

But it can also make sex more dangerous, especially if people are going in without an understanding of the potential risks. So, Bond-Gorr is one of several queer and trans harm reduction folks Script spoke to for advice on how to make chemsex safer in our community.
 

Easy steps to make chemsex safer

Harm reduction workers across the board agree that in order to party and play more safely, the most important thing you can do is be accessible in the case of an overdose.

That means telling friends where you are when you’re using, or if you’re using alone. It means not locking the door if you’re using alone in a bathroom or private room at a bathhouse. The sooner someone can get to you when you’re having an overdose, the sooner they can call an ambulance, administer an overdose kit or put you in a recovery position (on your side with your head on your arm or someone’s lap).

Another low barrier strategy to prevent a bad drug reaction is eating a meal beforehand, as well as drinking water before, during and after sex, since many chemsex drugs are stimulants such as cocaine and MDMA which can dehydrate you.
 

“Start low and go slow,” says Jazmine George, an awareness program administrator at the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research. “Start at a really low dose and monitor how the substance is affecting you, because it’s easier to take less as you go versus dialing backwards.”
 

George is one of the folks behind sexfluent.ca, a site created to give this kind of no-judgement advice on sexual health and substance use, and got her start in this space as the mother of a ballroom house.
 

“I always ask my kids, ‘What is the safest way you could go about this? If you’re gonna go to that party tonight, can I have your location? Can you let me know when you’re leaving? If you’re leaving with someone?’”
 

Be aware of HIV, hep C and other possible transmissions

Blood can be a part of both sex and drugs. The anus, for instance, has a higher potential for tears than a vagina during sex, and chemsex often leads to marathon or prolonged sexual sessions without condoms. Of course needles interact with blood, but so too can straws or rolled up bills if you’re snorting drugs.

Whenever there’s the presence of blood, there’s a risk of transmitting HIV or hepatitis C—both of which are more prevalent among queer and trans people than the general population—as well as other blood-borne infections.
 

“A big part of curbing the HIV epidemic is acknowledging that harm reduction helps folks get tested and is linked to preventing HIV,” says George.

Bringing and only using your own straws, needles and other tools is highly recommended by the harm reduction workers. They also suggest bringing your own lube, as there’s a chance some sexual partners may have premixed drugs into their lube supply since certain drugs hit harder and faster when taken anally.
 

Getting your drugs tested

Though it requires more foresight, getting your drug supply tested is a good idea, especially if you change dealers or are receiving drugs from strangers.
 

“There are a lot of services across Canada that do drug checking, especially in major urban centres,” says Evan Matchett-Wong, program director at the Health Initiative for Men. 
 

This involves giving a small amount of your supply to a program, often run by local organizations in partnership with different levels of government (like those in the City of Toronto or State of New York). These programs will often provide same-day certification that your drugs don’t contain the presence of other substances like fentanyl or benzodiazepines (also known as synthetic opioids)—both of which amplify the high and provide a cheaper, more readily available alternative to prescription opioids. But their presence in drugs also increases the risk of overdose. 
 

If you’re nervous about walking into a place and handing over illicit drugs, Matchett-Wong recommends calling the service first to understand what their expectations are around disclosures, tracking, timelines, etc.
 

There are also at-home testing options. Fentanyl test strips, for instance, have you mix a prescribed amount of the drug with water and then place the strip in the mixture, with results in about five minutes. A pack of five strips can be bought online for about $35 USD, but drug testing programs may provide free kits for home use.  
 

Sometimes people intentionally mix drugs with other substances for varied highs, so make sure to do some research into any specific combinations you might try. GHB, for instance, can help you feel relaxed, but when taken with alcohol or downers can cause blackouts. Mixing a lot of things that stimulate your blood flow—cocaine, poppers, erection medication, even caffeine—can put pressure on your heart.
 

Does harm reduction advice change for trans people?

Though much of the community messaging and discourse around chemsex is directed to cis gay men, it’s worth noting that trans people are part of the culture too—and the advice given by harm reduction workers should better reflect that.
 

“For trans men specifically, I don’t see us getting talked about enough when it comes to things like chemsex,” says Taylor Edelmann, harm reduction consultant and healthcare compliance officer.

When it comes to harm reduction tips specifically for trans folks, Edelmann says the basic principles around drug testing and safer use largely remain the same—but trans people don’t take those steps because their worries lie elsewhere.
 

“There are many transmasculine people who don’t have all the information and who are more concerned with pregnancy risk. I don’t think we’re often reflected in the numbers,” says Edelmann, referencing queer chemsex research’s focus on cis gay men. 

The same can be said for trans women, says Bond-Gorr. Their version of harm reduction is more focused on the potential of violence.
 

“They are more worried about keeping themselves safe and about when to disclose [their transness], which is not something that cisgender guys need to worry about in PnP spaces,” says Bond-Gorr. 

It’s a classic hierarchy of needs, explain the harm reduction workers. How can a trans drug user create a check-in system of peers if they’re kicked out of their house or isolated in their community? How can they ask their sexual partner to test their supply if they’re worried about violence? Harm reduction efforts are less effective if supports aren’t given for more pressing issues. 

Build community, both in and out of chemsex

Ultimately, safety depends on mutual trust and responsibility. Carrying a naloxone kit around in the case of an overdose only works if someone present is willing to use it. Fortunately, there seems to be less stigma now around drug use, say harm reduction workers, which allows for more open and honest conversations among friends and partners. 
 

“People have a certain idea of the kind of person who would do chemsex, but we see people of all ethnicities, all ages,” says Matchett-Wong. “A lot of people don’t realize how diverse people who do PnP are.”
 

While queer and trans people are more likely to engage with drugs during sex, we’re also inclined to care for each other. In fact, harm reduction as a concept was championed by this community.
 
“Largely harm reduction efforts really did come from the gay and trans liberation movement,” says Edelmann. “There was a trans needle exchange in New York City in the 90s—the first of its kind in the country. It’s not like we needed permission from the state to do any of these things, people were doing it because they wanted to take care of each other.”
 
It’s in this tradition that harm reduction strategies should be shared, not shamed. Perhaps we can reinforce that dimension in the chemsex world—to party, to play and to protect.