The plethora of Internet dating sites has spawned a new concept in face-to-face courtship: the “Safe Sex Passport.” As a reaction to the popularity of online social networking, a U.S. company has launched the product, aimed at providing dating websites additional “information protection,” said Gonzalo Paternoster, founder and President of Florida-based SSP BioAnalytics, in a press release.

 

"Most people don't know that 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. have an STD. With close to 90 million singles out there, a large percentage of them will be affected by STDs at some point in their life," said Paternoster in a public statement. “The Safe Sex Passport is designed to meet the needs of today's adult population by providing a new level of dating confidence, disclosure and personal health protection, both in person and online," Paternoster stated.

 

How does it work? “As soon as you order your card, you are referred to an affiliated laboratory where you can get tested for five major STDs," Paternoster said. Card holders are tested for HIV, genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Customers are also provided with a virtual health certificate which they can post on their online dating, MySpace or Facebook profiles.

 

It is difficult to gauge “how well the idea of a sexual health passport might work, but it's always a good thing for people to talk about matters of sexual health with their healthcare providers, and of course this should include a discussion of testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs),” says Fred Wyland, Media & Communications for The American Social Health Association (ASHA), based in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park.

 

“There exist more than the five STIs that…would be screened as part of this program. With that in mind, it's still important for users of programs such as the STI passport to think about safer sex (e.g., consistent, correct use of condoms). Safer sex practices are recommended for oral, genital, and anal contact,” Wyland maintains.   

 

Boston-based psychologist and sex therapist Aline Zoldbrod, Ph.D. agrees that the card is no free pass to engage in reckless behavior. “Of course, nothing is fail safe. Someone could take these tests, come out ‘clean,’ and then have unprotected sex with scores of new partners in between their ‘test date’ and the time they date someone new,” Zoldbrod warns. ASHA’s Wyland agrees. “A negative STI test a few months ago may not accurately indicate a person's status in that regard today,” he explains.

 

Idea man and product developer Paternoster told the AFP that, “The test results are tied to the card. So let's say now you meet someone: they can call a phone number and get the test results and test date for you, plus identification information so that they know for sure that you are really the person who was tested," he said.

 

That being said, the passport is not devoid of potential advantages, and may indeed deliver on its promise to promote healthier sex practices. “To the extent that there are tests that would work, and there are [tests] for some of these illnesses, I think this would be a great innovation,” Zoldbrod says. “People do lie about their medical histories, sometimes with horrible consequences for their unknowing partners. This might be a layer of protection in the dating world.”

 

Zoldbrod tells demo dirt that those who get tested and obtain the card could be more likely to practice safe sex, although that is no guarantee, she cautions. “If someone takes the time and energy to get tested, it's an indication that they may intend to behave responsibly about sex,” Zoldbrod points out. According to the Safe Sex Passport website, cardholders are required to get tested every six months, a guideline recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

Who is most likely to purchase this latest sexual aid? According to Paternoster, daters between the ages 27 to 47 have been expressing the greatest interest in the passport. "A lot of them are divorced or have broken up after a long-term relationship, and now they're back in the dating world and they're terrified," Paternoster told the AFP.

 

When asked if older daters are more likely to fear STDs than younger ones, Zoldbrod told demo dirt that the fear tends to be universal, but with some variation. “People in every generation are fearful of STDs. But if I were going to generalize, I would say that the older the person, the more fearful they are,” Zoldbrod explains. “That's because younger people, on some level, truly believe they're immortal. That's why they are more prone to do all kinds of dangerous behavior, whether it's sniffing glue, driving drunk, or having unprotected sex.” 

 

And for those re-entering the singles scene after a long hiatus? “In my practice, I find that divorced people who are dating and who are in perfect health are terrified of catching an STD. And if I were going to generalize, I would add that the fear level tends to go up with the level of education,” Zoldbrod says.

 

Ironically, this little card could be used to pick up more sexual partners, making daters who have tested negative busy online and maybe even busier in the bedroom. “One's currency in the dating market is certainly tied to one's reproductive and sexual history. Being free of all STDs is an asset, like being beautiful, smart, rich, [or] handsome,” Zoldbrod says. “Having herpes, for example, is a detriment. It might be the tipping point in whether or not someone chooses to date you.”

 

Again, in the dating jungle, it is always important to practice caution, no matter what documents are available for review. “Even if this card catches on, and people use it, they still need to practice safe, responsible sex,” Zoldbrod cautions. “Even if someone's score was perfect and they got tested yesterday, and you're dating them today, I'd still urge you to use a condom. Call me paranoid, but I can see someone who is sociopathic using this testing regime to con multiple people into sleeping with him or her.”

 

With nearly 15,000 people having registered to be Safe Sex Passport users, and with the popularity of networking and dating sites, virtual health certificates and wallet-sized bedroom passports may morph into courtship rituals, providing some answers to the widespread fear of STDs and STIs. At the very least, it will get potential partners talking about a very touchy subject.

 

“The bottom line is not to abandon either common sense of safer safe practices regardless of a new partner's STI testing history,” Wyland cautions.