Beyond Herpes: Understanding Rejection in the Human Experience
Have you ever been rejected by someone you really liked? Or a future employer where you thought you would be the perfect fit?
Rejection hurts. But it’s a part of the human experience.
Upon a herpes diagnosis, and even in sex education classrooms, many fear herpes due to the fear of potential rejection from future partners.
Yes, stigma and miseducation are what ultimately lie beneath these fears, but rejection is more universal than this.
We can be rejected for many things, many of which might come down to chemistry, compatibility, preference, ethics, and more.
Some of these rejections aren’t always logical or right, and many can be misinformed (like those related to herpes).
What would it look like if sex education classrooms asked students to anonymously share an experience of rejection? What feelings would arise? Would they be shared? How could this segway into discussions around rejections specific to STI diagnoses?
By finding universal experience in one that seems so isolating, perhaps we can begin to see change.