To The Teenage Girls Who Have Herpes

October 20, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

This world will tell you that you are worthless: because you are a girl, because you are sexually active, because you have a virus, because you have a voice. Don’t listen to it.

Dear Internet Commenters Who Really Don’t Want Herpes,

October 8, 2015.Reading time 7 minutes.

Your Facebook comments have made me think. I’m not being facetious—whenever I read a comment from someone (usually a man) upset that rejecting someone who has an STI makes you a bad person, I wonder why you are so alarmed and defensive. When have I ever said that turning down someone herpes+ makes you a […]

Wesleyan’s Herpes Joke Problem

September 2, 2014.Reading time 7 minutes.

We need to talk about herpes jokes. In particular, we need to talk about herpes jokes and Wesleyan, my dear flawed alma mater. As my younger friends moved into their new dorms in Middletown this weekend, I searched tumblr for posts about STIs. I’m involved in tumblr’s sprawling sexual health support community and track the tags for […]