What I Wish More People Knew About STIs
Most people in your life have an STI, they just don’t talk about it in casual conversation.
Read MoreCategory: herpes
Getting Herpes Made My Sex Life Better
Disclosing your STI lets your partner know that they can trust you. You’ll be amazed by what they might tell you once that trust is established.
Read MoreThe Kind of Girl Who Gets Herpes
“I guess this is what I get for falling for a girl like you.” An insult tossed off so casually, so precisely designed to gut me.
Read MoreIntroducing “LIFE RUINER,” A Micro-Memoir About Herpes and Abusive Relationships
While I’ve alluded to the less than ideal circumstances surrounding my herpes diagnosis, I’ve never told the story from start to finish.
Read MoreASK ELLA: I Have Herpes and I’m Afraid of Rejection
Rejection is always a risk because people are complicated and life is unfair. That rejection is unfair doesn’t make it sting any less.
Read MoreASK ELLA: Are Herpes Jokes Ever Funny?
Why is SNL still writing sketches about a nightmare ex-boyfriend who takes “fistfuls of Valtrex just to get out of bed in the morning”?
Read MoreHow Getting Herpes Prepared Me For The COVID-19 Pandemic
Viruses do not care who we are. Viruses do not exist to exact karmic punishment. They are not agents of destiny or markers of character. They are not concerned with our petty human stories about who matters and who doesn’t. To COVID-19, we are just bodies.
Read MoreASK ELLA: How Do I Tell Someone I Have Herpes?
Telling someone you’re interested in that you have herpes means making yourself vulnerable.
Read MoreASK ELLA: Should I Date Someone with Herpes?
Whatever you decide, I hope you treat your “someone” with the respect and thoughtfulness you’re showing now as you learn about their virus.
Read MoreShould You Publicly Disclose Your Herpes Diagnosis?
It is brave to share your STI status. Public disclosure is an act of generosity that is not without risk and consequence.
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Ella Dawson 