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When was the last time someone had an honest conversation with you about herpes? Not the exaggerated horror stories from sex ed class or anxious Google searches at 2 AM, but a genuine, stigma-free discussion about something that affects roughly 12% of the population?

Psychologist and sexologist Kate Campbell joins us to share her decade-plus experience living with genital herpes, dismantling harmful myths along the way. What makes this episode revolutionary is the revelation that herpes isn't even considered serious enough to be a "notifiable STI" by health departments. The medical system doesn't track it because, unlike other STIs that can cause infertility or serious complications, herpes rarely poses significant health risks. Yet society's response is wildly disproportionate to the actual impact of the condition.

Campbell traces this disconnect back to pharmaceutical marketing in the 1980s, when drug companies essentially manufactured fear to sell antivirals. This created a perfect storm of stigma that continues today, despite herpes being as old as human sexuality itself (Shakespeare wrote about it!). Through personal stories and clinical expertise, she guides us through the physical realities of herpes (often just small, occasional lesions triggered by stress or immune changes), the emotional labor of disclosure conversations, and how living with herpes has ultimately become a "bullshit filter" for identifying partners with empathy and intelligence.

Whether you're herpes positive, dating someone who is, or simply want to be a more compassionate human, this conversation offers rare, judgment-free insights into navigating sexual health with honesty and self-acceptance. As Campbell puts so perfectly: "So you got herpes. Big fucking whoop." Her forthcoming book by that title promises to be the guide many have been waiting for.

Ready to challenge what you thought you knew about sexual health? Join us for a conversation that replaces shame with understanding, fear with facts, and stigma with solidarity. 

Get in touch with Kate here...

https://au.linkedin.com/in/kate-campbell-513194108

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Don't forget to check out the podcast at:

https://www.jordanwalkerrse.com/podcast-1

Or see what Jordan is up to, teaching all things sex ed at:

www.youwontlearnthisatschool.com