The Power of Sharing Your STI Status: Normalizing and Defeating Stigma
Sharing your STI status, whether positive or negative, helps defeat stigma.
Due to said stigma, people tend to look for an “out” from the STI screening/status conversation. Disclosure is mutual, and is required for informed consent. But it means more, too.
Each time we share our status with our partners, we’re not only prioritizing our sexual health, but also combatting stigma. Communicating to our partners that we seek regular STI screenings and know our STI status is helps to normalize sexual self-care and that STIs happen. They are not scary monsters or things that happen to a certain “type” of person. They exist within partnered sexual activities.
These are not conversations to be ashamed from, but rather, empowered by.