Ask 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.
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How 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 MoreWatch This Charming Short Film About Having Sex After a Herpes Diagnosis
People living with herpes are real, and we deserve to see our experiences in film. Here’s a start.
Read MoreMy Thoughts on Usher’s Herpes Lawsuit
This is a complicated story where no one wins.
Read MoreWhy I Celebrate The Day I Was Diagnosed With Herpes
On May 9, I commemorate a very important anniversary.
Read MoreIt’s STD Awareness Month 2017. Please Show Up For Us This Year
STI stigma isn’t considered a real issue by the feminist community, the body positivity community, or the larger social justice community.
Read MoreThe First Time I Had Sex After Getting Herpes
I didn’t want to fuck—I wanted to disappear inside of him where it was safe, nestled in the warmth of his approval.
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.
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