Respecting Privacy: Understanding Public Disclosure of STI Status
Public figures who openly discuss their STI status are not research projects or case studies to be presented to partners.
Being public about having herpes (or any STI) is not an invitation to learn the intricacies of someone’s sex life or transmission statistics with their current and past partners.
It is unacceptable to message and ask someone who is public about having herpes (or any STI) if their partners contracted it unless that person explicitly states that they are open to sharing their experiences.
One person’s experience of non-transmission of herpes is not the collective experience.
Even under the circumstance that someone is comfortable sharing their experiences publicly. They are the sum of one person’s experience, not fact-based research that is applicable to you or your particular situation.
These probing questions are not only invading the privacy of the person with herpes, but the confidentiality of their partners.