Lets be clear here, our society has always shamed sex in one form or another. Some have arguments that its worse for women than it is for men; but at the end of the day, should you contract an STI, you are often shamed no matter your gender; which I personally don’t agree with. I know in earlier episodes, which have since been removed pending review, I mentioned, and also shamed persons who may have STI’s as persons unworthy of a relationship despite their circumstance…and as I’ve mentioned before, circumstance changes EVERYTHING, and while sex is important, its not the only aspect of a relationship, and through toxic cycles of conditioning, I have unfortunately fallen into, I placed this above everything else…but healing and learning more myself, I do truly believe that no one deserves to be shamed, or publicly called out for something very private, and emotionally distressing. We all have a choice for whom we’d like to share space with, and while that is fair, so is discerning what is important when seeking out solid relationships with people.

If your potential sexual partner is letting you know what their status is, or you ask, and they disclose, you can choose if you want to proceed with the person based on that information, but understand that an STI or STD is not all a person is, and often times, people contract them from individuals who either did not disclose because they didn’t know, or they felt too much personal shame to admit it to a partner, however irresponsible that is, it’s important to understand that in small percentages, people may maliciously pass something like that to you, and while that opens up a different avenue of betrayal, its also your responsibility to ask the right questions before becoming sexually active with a person. Personal responsibility is the key point here, folks. When personal responsibility is taken, and safe spaces are available for a person to be honest with you before anything gets too serious, that’s where open communication happens. We all have different circumstances here, and I want you all to understand remaining without judgement, being safe, and being smart and communicative will open up a lot of possibilities for both sides of the spectrum.