Hetronormtaive Questions at the Doctor Visits

a woman during a doctor’s visit at the hospital. She sits on top of a hospital bed, and the doctor is standing to her right, asking her questions.
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What does it mean when doctors ask “are you sexually active?”

Peak Web March 3, 2026

By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer Content warning: References of sexual activities.  The wrinkling of paper underneath you as you sit atop the patient’s table. A cold stethoscope against your skin. The question, “are you sexually active?” These are all part of a regular doctor’s appointment, but one can be exclusionary if it’s being asked by someone who has a narrow and heteronormative understanding of sex. In the wide spectrum of human intimacy and relationships, what counts as sexually active? It seems the definition is different for everyone, and this reality is not reflected in a doctor’s checklist. For health-care to…

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