Interview with Paula, 20-21, White British, working class, Roman Catholic. Women, Risk and AIDS Project, London, 1989. Anonymised version. (Ref: LJH4)

This interview is part of the Women, Risk and Aids Project (1989-90) archive which was created as part of the Reanimating Data Project (2018-20).<br>Anonymised transcript of interview with Paula, who is at a polytechnic college. She is living with her boyfriend of three years, though she doesn't like calling him that. They had started out in a casual sexual relationship and it seemed to naturally progress from there. Although their relationship is sexual, it does not usually include penetrative sex, which stands out from other young women's experiences which tend to fit into to a heteronormative mould. Her first sex was at age 18, although she was 'sexually active' before then, as she enjoyed solo masturbation. Since, she has had several one night stands. Paula has used the pill as her main form of contraception in the past, but did not like the idea of what it might have been doing to her body - she now relies on condoms. Her sex education from comprehensive school was more varied and extensive than most - it briefly touched upon homosexuality, for example - but she recognises that it was very heteronormative. Most of her sex education came from her mother, who was very open about it. Paula doesn't plan on marriage in the future, and thinks her parent's divorce has left her jaded.