When Life Gives You Herpes

Conversion therapy for queer kids. Let me repeat that. CONVERSION THERAPY FOR QUEER KIDS.  Some members of the RNC even wanted to endorse it more explicitly than they did.

Zealous opposition to same-sex marriage. Here’s the quote:  “Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman and actively promote married family life as the basis of a stable and prosperous society. For that reason, as explained elsewhere In this platform, we do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal, whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the States.”

Reversing the Obama administration’s order to grant trans students access to restrooms, locker rooms, etc. The Republicans feel that such things should be based on biological gender, not gender identity.

Treating internet porn as “a public health crisis.” Quote: “Pornography, with his harmful effects, especially on children, has become a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions. We encourage states to continue to fight this public menace and pledge our commitment to children’s safety and wellbeing[.]”

Gender discrimination. To quote Time magazine: “[T]he platform committee voted against including the word “gender” in a list of types of discrimination that should be opposed.   On Tuesday, one member described the attempt to add that word to a list including qualities like race, sex and creed as a “sneak attack.”

Repeal of the Johnson Amendment. The Johnson Amendment currently prevents churches and other tax-exempt organizations from organizing politically, endorsing political candidates, etc. Repealing it would throw separation of church and state out the window…not to mention that it would give evangelical churches and televangelist organizations much more power, driving the country further to the right. 

“Herpes does not care about statistics. Herpes doesn’t care if you’ve had zero partners or 100 partners.”

all-about-psychology.com/evolutionary-psychology.html

So I gave a TEDx talk.

I’m so proud of how it turned out. I gave it right after the #ShoutYourStatus backlash and was dealing with all sorts of panic attacks and paranoia and anxiety and a general crisis of confidence. I did the talk anyway. I’m glad I did.

Talking about having herpes can be scary. It can be dangerous. It can have consequences. But it can also be rewarding, healthy, fun and even romantic. I know, I know, that’s easy for me to say. This talk is about how I got here.

You can find a full transcript of my TEDx talk on my blog>>

Decided to make a new post because it’s just easier. In case you didn’t see my earlier post I am writing a piece on how age affects being diagnosed with herpes. I have a few questions for yall to answer so if you want to share your story with me for this piece please fill out the questionnaire on the link below. Its 100% anonymous and very short! I would super appreciate it if you guys could fill it out for me :)