“What’s the warts that could happen?” asks another, the words spelled out in shriveled, blistered skin. The rhetoric is familiar to anyone who’s had a sex education class: Herpes, a disease that affects two-thirds of the adult population, is viewed as a terrifying, life-altering consequence of deviant sexual behavior. But for the 50 million Americans living with it every day, it’s actually not that big of a deal. “Living with an STI is empowerment and the opportunity to gain more knowledge about myself and my body than I’ve ever previously known,” she said. Yes, people with herpes can — and should — still have sex, according to the Herpes Resource Center. They counsel those with the diagnosis to avoid having sex during outbreaks, use protection, and of course, talk to their partner before getting down and dirty. And that big conversation? It’s not as hard as most people think. “They don’t realize that, yes, I am my individual self, but I also identify within this group that they cannot understand or empathize with. And when they insult one of us they’re really insulting all of us,” Frank said. But the stigma spreads farther than just peer-to-peer. When Ella Dawson tried to start the “Shout Your Status” hashtag for people with herpes on Twitter earlier this year, commenters told her to kill herself. Detractors called Dawson and her participants “no better than plague rats.” “At the time I was unaware that two-thirds of the world’s population has HSV-1, and one in six Americans has HSV-2,” she continued, referring to oral herpes and genital herpes, respectively. Many people blame this confusion on a lack of testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Control Prevention do not recommend doctors regularly screen for herpes, because it is costly and not completely reliable. Because of this, many see their diagnosis as less common — and more concerning — than it actually is. “I contracted genital herpes type one from an ex who cheated on me in 2014,” she told Revelist. Other women may not even know their partner has herpes, thanks to the CDC’s recommendation not to screen regularly. Still others may contract herpes even when using protection, as condoms are not 100% effective in preventing its spread. “Contracting herpes — or any STI — is not the end of the world,” Greco told Revelist. “…This virus is a very small thing in my life.” Doctors diagnosed Depasse with herpes in 2015. She told Revelist she suffered a loss to her self esteem, and lapsed into a self-destructive period because of it. Now, however, she’s learned how to keep her head above water. “I embrace my vulnerability, and because of that, I have evolved into my most confident self,” she said. So there you have it, Omaha: That is the “warts” that could happen.
title: “What Living With Herpes Looks Like In 9 Photos” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-25” author: “Yolanda Stinson”
“What’s the warts that could happen?” asks another, the words spelled out in shriveled, blistered skin. The rhetoric is familiar to anyone who’s had a sex education class: Herpes, a disease that affects two-thirds of the adult population, is viewed as a terrifying, life-altering consequence of deviant sexual behavior. But for the 50 million Americans living with it every day, it’s actually not that big of a deal. “Living with an STI is empowerment and the opportunity to gain more knowledge about myself and my body than I’ve ever previously known,” she said. Yes, people with herpes can — and should — still have sex, according to the Herpes Resource Center. They counsel those with the diagnosis to avoid having sex during outbreaks, use protection, and of course, talk to their partner before getting down and dirty. And that big conversation? It’s not as hard as most people think. “They don’t realize that, yes, I am my individual self, but I also identify within this group that they cannot understand or empathize with. And when they insult one of us they’re really insulting all of us,” Frank said. But the stigma spreads farther than just peer-to-peer. When Ella Dawson tried to start the “Shout Your Status” hashtag for people with herpes on Twitter earlier this year, commenters told her to kill herself. Detractors called Dawson and her participants “no better than plague rats.” “At the time I was unaware that two-thirds of the world’s population has HSV-1, and one in six Americans has HSV-2,” she continued, referring to oral herpes and genital herpes, respectively. Many people blame this confusion on a lack of testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Control Prevention do not recommend doctors regularly screen for herpes, because it is costly and not completely reliable. Because of this, many see their diagnosis as less common — and more concerning — than it actually is. “I contracted genital herpes type one from an ex who cheated on me in 2014,” she told Revelist. Other women may not even know their partner has herpes, thanks to the CDC’s recommendation not to screen regularly. Still others may contract herpes even when using protection, as condoms are not 100% effective in preventing its spread. “Contracting herpes — or any STI — is not the end of the world,” Greco told Revelist. “…This virus is a very small thing in my life.” Doctors diagnosed Depasse with herpes in 2015. She told Revelist she suffered a loss to her self esteem, and lapsed into a self-destructive period because of it. Now, however, she’s learned how to keep her head above water. “I embrace my vulnerability, and because of that, I have evolved into my most confident self,” she said. So there you have it, Omaha: That is the “warts” that could happen.
title: “What Living With Herpes Looks Like In 9 Photos” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-08” author: “Denise Lopez”
“What’s the warts that could happen?” asks another, the words spelled out in shriveled, blistered skin. The rhetoric is familiar to anyone who’s had a sex education class: Herpes, a disease that affects two-thirds of the adult population, is viewed as a terrifying, life-altering consequence of deviant sexual behavior. But for the 50 million Americans living with it every day, it’s actually not that big of a deal. “Living with an STI is empowerment and the opportunity to gain more knowledge about myself and my body than I’ve ever previously known,” she said. Yes, people with herpes can — and should — still have sex, according to the Herpes Resource Center. They counsel those with the diagnosis to avoid having sex during outbreaks, use protection, and of course, talk to their partner before getting down and dirty. And that big conversation? It’s not as hard as most people think. “They don’t realize that, yes, I am my individual self, but I also identify within this group that they cannot understand or empathize with. And when they insult one of us they’re really insulting all of us,” Frank said. But the stigma spreads farther than just peer-to-peer. When Ella Dawson tried to start the “Shout Your Status” hashtag for people with herpes on Twitter earlier this year, commenters told her to kill herself. Detractors called Dawson and her participants “no better than plague rats.” “At the time I was unaware that two-thirds of the world’s population has HSV-1, and one in six Americans has HSV-2,” she continued, referring to oral herpes and genital herpes, respectively. Many people blame this confusion on a lack of testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Control Prevention do not recommend doctors regularly screen for herpes, because it is costly and not completely reliable. Because of this, many see their diagnosis as less common — and more concerning — than it actually is. “I contracted genital herpes type one from an ex who cheated on me in 2014,” she told Revelist. Other women may not even know their partner has herpes, thanks to the CDC’s recommendation not to screen regularly. Still others may contract herpes even when using protection, as condoms are not 100% effective in preventing its spread. “Contracting herpes — or any STI — is not the end of the world,” Greco told Revelist. “…This virus is a very small thing in my life.” Doctors diagnosed Depasse with herpes in 2015. She told Revelist she suffered a loss to her self esteem, and lapsed into a self-destructive period because of it. Now, however, she’s learned how to keep her head above water. “I embrace my vulnerability, and because of that, I have evolved into my most confident self,” she said. So there you have it, Omaha: That is the “warts” that could happen.
