Pleasure, care and no lectures: a pocket guide to gay sexual health

Sexual health is about more than a test result. In Le Petit Guide de la santé sexuelle gay, French journalist Xavier Héraud brings pleasure, consent, relationships and mental health into the same conversation as HIV, sexually transmitted infections and chemsex. Published by First on 27 August 2026, the French-language book offers gay and bisexual men a compact starting point for questions that are not always easy to ask out loud.

A small book with a wider view of sex

The cover makes its intention clear: “Profiter et rester en bonne santé” — enjoy yourself and stay healthy. Neither half of that sentence is presented as an afterthought. Pleasure belongs in the conversation, alongside the information that helps people make choices about their bodies and relationships.

At 160 pages, Le Petit Guide de la santé sexuelle gay takes a broad approach to its subject. Its description includes sexual practices, consent, different relationship models and mental health, as well as sexually transmitted infections, HIV and chemsex. The ambition is to connect these subjects rather than treat sexual health as a checklist of infections to avoid.

For LGBTQIA+ people, that matters today because useful health information should make room for how we actually live, connect and experience desire — not simply tell us what could go wrong.

Consent and mental health belong here, too

One of the most interesting things about the book’s framing is what it places alongside prevention. Consent, relationships and mental wellbeing are explicitly part of its definition of a fulfilling sex life.

That opens the conversation beyond “Was it protected?” towards other questions: Was it wanted? Did you feel able to say what you needed? Does the relationship work for you?

Those are questions prompted by the book’s stated scope, rather than a description of individual exercises or chapters. But the distinction is important: looking after sexual health can also involve thinking about expectations, boundaries and how encounters leave us feeling.

The guide’s promise is not a single model of the “right” gay sex life. Its back-cover description acknowledges different types of relationships and presents care as something that accompanies sexual fulfilment, rather than replacing it.

HIV, PrEP and chemsex, without reducing gay life to risk

HIV, PrEP and chemsex appear prominently on the cover. Inside, the guide promises information about infections and chemsex to help readers understand risks, protect themselves and navigate situations more confidently.Capture-d-ecran-2026-10-22-123918.jpg+1

These subjects deserve clear information, but their prominence should not obscure the book’s broader premise: gay sexual health also includes pleasure, consent and emotional life. That balance is what makes the project worth a look, rather than simply the number of prevention topics it names.

In an interview with Remaides, published by AIDES, Héraud also places loneliness within the discussion of HIV and chemsex. It is a reminder that the conversation can extend beyond individual behaviour to the need for connection and support. That perspective should not be mistaken for a single explanation of everyone’s experience.

A writer with a long relationship to queer stories

Héraud comes to the subject as a journalist with an established history in French-language LGBTQIA+ media. His biography identifies him as a contributor to Strobo, a former writer for Têtu and a founder of Yagg. He also follows queer communities through photography.

This is not his first guide for queer readers. His earlier books include Le Guide des jeunes homos, published by Marabout in 2004, and Le Petit Guide du coming out, published by First in 2024. The new title continues that strand of accessible writing around experiences that can be deeply personal but are also shared across a community.

On his website, he places the book within First’s Pride collection, a series dedicated to LGBTQIA+ subjects.x

What it offers Brussels readers — and what it does not

For French-speaking readers in Brussels and across Belgium, the book offers an approachable entry point into subjects that can otherwise feel scattered across medical websites, social media and conversations with friends.

Its intended audience is primarily gay and bisexual men, according to Remaides. That focus is useful to name: a book about gay sexual health should not automatically be presented as a comprehensive resource for every lesbian, trans, non-binary or intersex reader.

Nor is this a Belgium-specific directory of services. Read it as an introduction and a conversation starter, rather than assuming it answers every question about local care or individual circumstances.

Its strongest editorial proposition is care without shame: taking pleasure seriously while making space for information, boundaries and support.

Practical information

• Title: Le Petit Guide de la santé sexuelle gay – Profiter et rester en bonne santé, Chemsex – VIH – PrEP.
• Author: Xavier Héraud.
• Publisher: First, in its Pride collection.
• Publication date: 27 August 2026.
• Language: French.
• Format: Paperback, 160 pages.fnac+1
• Listed price: €5.50 in France; check the price and availability with your Belgian bookseller.aides
• ISBN: 9782412107980.e
• Further information: Read the author’s introduction or his interview with Remaides on the AIDES website.aides+1

Small enough to keep close, and built around a conversation worth having: how to enjoy your sexuality while making room for yourself and the people you share it with.

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