We believe that advocacy can take many forms. Not everyone needs to or should ‘come out’ publicly; that’s not necessary to be an advocate for yourself and/or others. Sometimes, just sharing your story anonymously, like this interviewee has, is all that you can do, and that’s enough. That alone takes an incredible amount of courage. […]
What You Need to Know About STDs: How You Get Them and Treat Them
This feature article was written by freelance writer, Jenna. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about STDs and how they can and can’t be contracted. And while we’ve already laid the ‘can I get an STD from a toilet seat’ issue to rest, it seems like this might be a good time to go […]
Chlamydia – It’s Opened My Eyes – STI Interviews
STDs – in this case, chlamydia – do not discriminate against race, gender, age, or class; they happen to everyone, and usually, unexpectedly. Sometimes, they’re the result of a partner being unfaithful, sometimes they happen in long-term committed relationships, they even happen to folks who consistently and correctly practice safer sex. If you’re sexually active, […]
Chlamydia & Herpes – I Never Used Condoms – STI Interviews
The refreshing part about interviewing people who have contracted an STI is everyone’s perspective is unique. This interview illustrates that contracting an STI – chlamydia and herpes, specifically – doesn’t always result in doom and gloom. Depending on where you’re from, what type of sexual education program you experienced, or how your parents talked about sexual […]
Molluscum – Doesn’t Have Such a Big Stigma – STI Interviews
Molluscum contagiosum or MC is one of those borderline STIs that few people know about and that rarely gets sensationalized in the media. When children contract it, it’s not considered an STI/STD, but when adults get it, it’s almost always sexually transmitted. As such, stigma surrounding the infection is lower than some of the more […]
HSV – No One Treats Me Differently – STI Interviews
An incredible example of how support – caring, thoughtful, and educational support – can be the difference between an emotional tailspin upon a new diagnosis and a calm, worry-free reaction. It’s never easy to share one’s story, and each person must decide with whom to share it and how to do so (anonymously, with a […]
HSV2 – It Sucks, But We Can Get Through It – STI Interviews
As if an HSV2 diagnosis isn’t enough to send someone whirling, then those who’ve you’ve entrusted with that personal information decide they should tell others about your infection. That’s enough to make anyone depressed while feeling like a true villain – a horrible, undesirable person who people should ‘watch out’ for. The problem with those […]
Genital HSV1 – I’m Not Dirty, I’m Just Unlucky – STI Interviews
One of the most common things we hear at The STI Project is the misconception that people with STDs are promiscuous. The assumption is that, unless you’ve slept with a ton of people (whatever ‘a ton’ is), you won’t contract an infection. When, actually, the number of partners you have is only one of the […]