What I Wish More People Knew About STIs

July 30, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

A woman with red fingernails holds up a condom.

Most people in your life have an STI, they just don’t talk about it in casual conversation.

Why I Celebrate The Day I Was Diagnosed With Herpes

April 29, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.

On May 9, I commemorate a very important anniversary.

Why I Will Never Support Herpes or STI Dating Sites

September 13, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

Let me be very clear: I will never endorse an STI dating site. Period. Ever. You’ve got the wrong woman.

STIs aren’t a consequence. They’re inevitable. [Ella Dawson’s TEDx Talk With Transcript]

May 11, 2016.Reading time 26 minutes.

I don’t care how you got herpes. An STI is not a reflection of your character or a consequence of a bad decision.

It’s STD Awareness Month 2016. Why Aren’t We Celebrating?

April 5, 2016.Reading time 9 minutes.

STD awareness is celebrating us, the people who live with STDs and dare to be, y’know, okay.

The Herpes Interviews: The Guy From The Bar

April 2, 2016.Reading time 25 minutes.

“I think the fact that I’m here tonight after five weeks speaks for itself.”

I Am Not “Suffering” From Herpes

March 14, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

I’m exhausted today. Someone I’m seeing came over late last night to, in his words, “fuck the shit out of me,” and by the time he left it was just shy of 1:30am. I took a shower and then lazed around in bed, smelling him in my hair and remembering how he kissed my neck, how […]

Why Should I Date Someone With Herpes?

January 28, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

Here’s another pet peeve of my email inbox: when a man (because it’s almost always a man) asks me if he should continue seeing this woman he’s been dating who just told him she has herpes. Sometimes the question is data-based, about what transmission statistics are real. Sometimes the question is esoteric, about whether or not […]

Why STDRegistry.com Is Disgusting, and Outing Your Ex as STI+ Makes You an Asshole

January 14, 2016.Reading time 18 minutes.

I stopped. I went back and read the paragraph again. STDRegistry. STDRegistry. No. Absolutely not.

Dear VICE, Stop Using This Photo of a Smashed Banana on Your STI Articles

January 7, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

Look, VICE. We need to have a quick chat. You’ve been on the STI beat this year, and I respect that. One of your journalists wrote a great piece about me over the summer and she was super lovely and considerate. It was a positive experience. But then the article used a repulsive image of […]