Introducing “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 MoreTag: herpes stigma
ASK ELLA: Are Herpes Jokes Ever Funny?
It’s 2020 and SNL is 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: 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 MoreHerpes And Shame, Six Years Later
Healing isn’t fun or narratively appealing: it’s a whole lot of pulling off scabs and dissecting long broken bones that didn’t set properly. It’s hard.
Read MoreWhat Herpes Activism Looks Like In Trump’s America
It’s time to do the systemic work and take on the underlying structural issues that make herpes stigma so powerful.
Read MoreWhy I Will Never Support Herpes or STI Dating Sites
Let me be very clear: I will never endorse an STI dating site. Period. Ever. You’ve got the wrong woman.
Read MoreWhy I’m Taking a Summer Vacation From Activism
Barring an unforeseen celebrity scandal, I don’t want to publish the word “herpes” until the heat breaks in Brooklyn.
Read MoreSTIs aren’t a consequence. They’re inevitable. [Ella Dawson’s TEDx Talk With Transcript]
I don’t care how you got herpes. An STI is not a reflection of your character or a consequence of a bad decision.
Read MoreWhy I Don’t Call Herpes a “Gift”
We need to make space for nuance as the conversation about STIs becomes more than the occasional personal essay on a lady blog.
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