a question about virginity

[poptarts14]

Hi. Im a 16 year old gay male and I go to a catholic high school. The "sex ed" class doesnt teach us anything besides 'if you have sex before marriage, you will get AIDS and god will be dissapointed'. I myself hate this school because they do not teach us anything useful in regards to sexuality.
Ive been told multiple times by teachers when asking legitimite questions about sex that I 'shouldnt be asking questions like that' when im only asking serious questions.

Since my sex ed/religion teachers have been no help, my question is:
If two guys are both virgins, have no previous sexual encounters besides masturbation, have no STDs and they have sex, with protection and safety; can either of them contract and STD or STI?

I felt wierd asking this question in my sex ed class, for two reasons: the teachers never agree with same-sex relationships, and ive been treated unfairly because im gay, and also if any student was to ask a question about sex with another person, we get told the whole "sex before marriage is wrong" blah blah thing.
I dont feel comfotable asking my parents either, because they have a huge moral issue with sex.

Thank you!

[Karyn]

Welcome to Scarleteen. I'm so sorry you've gotten such poor sex education, and that you haven't been treated well at school because you're gay.

The deal with sexually transmitted infections (the newer term) is that they don't come out of nowhere: you have to have contact with someone who has an STI to get one. So in your scenario, if both partners know that they do not have an STI, there's no chance of either person getting one. Unfortunately, some STIs can be transmitted non-sexually as well as through sex (like herpes - ) so while the chances are very low that someone who has never had sex will have an STI, it isn't impossible. To boot, safer sex reduces the risks of transmission considerably but it doesn't eliminate that risk completely. Ideally, it's best to get tested before you decide to become sexually active with anyone else, and definitely before you decide to go without barriers like condoms with a partner, but realistically if two people have never had any sexual contact with anyone else before, the chances of any STIs are incredibly low.

There are a bunch of articles on the main site that explain safer sex and STI transmission and risk in a lot more detail, so it's worth having a look through them:
All the Barriers! All the Time!
Can I Get Pregnant, or Get or Pass On an STI From That?
HPV & Herpes: Why Safer Sex Isn't Always Safe Enough
Safe, Sound & Sexy: A Safer Sex How-To
Without sexual contact, could I have an STI?

That's a lot, I know, so if anything in those pieces isn't clear, just shout and I or someone else can clarify.