Reframing STI Stigma: Challenging Common Misconceptions in Dating and Relationships
“You’re lucky to find someone.”
“I’d still sleep with you.”
“At least you have a sexual partner..”
These and other similar phrases are often shared by well-meaning folks after learning that someone with an STI has a new partner (sexual or romantic).
While well-intentioned, these phrases are great examples of how internalized and integrated STI stigma is in our cultural narratives of STIs.
People with STIs aren’t bound to dating other people with the same STI.
People with STIs are not required to find acceptance within a partner, or even look for love at all.
If you find yourself telling a friend that they’re “lucky” to find someone who will engage sexually with them or love them with their STI, you’re really saying that they have little chances of finding anyone else who accepts them.
This is one general reframe. If you have ever shared these phrases with a friend or someone you know, please take a few moments and ask yourself what “lucky” really reflects about your views of people with STIs.