What It Feels Like to Have Herpes for 10 Years
Ten years ago I was diagnosed with herpes. Ten is a big, round number. Double digits. Meaningful. Right?
Read MoreTag: herpes stigma
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 MoreGetting 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 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: 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: 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.
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Ella Dawson 