Herpes stigma....

Im curious to see what everyone thinks it would take to change the stigma of herpes! I mean that's really the hardest part or this condition, right?! Dealing with the jokes that now are hurtful. Dealing with the rejection because most people are so uneducated about it and scared to give people like us a chance.

I just wish there was a way to educate people about herpes so things are easier for us and we don't feel so alone and dread disclosing.

I had no problem telling my friends and most of my family but it's telling prospective partners I dread!

I dunno maybe it would take someone famous stepping up. Maybe commercials or a campaign to end the stigma! Maybe if this country was given proper sex education and all the facts, not just the scary ones then we wouldn't be in this mess!

I mean if we can't have a cure or a vaccine to protect those who don't have it, eliminating the stigma would be the next best thing, right?!

I think about this too! Once googled "celebrities with herpes" to see what came up, nothing really. I'm hoping someday it will happen. Without realizing it, I've developed this own personal crusade amongst my friends. Didn't realize until one night I was ranting off herpes statistics and they said "enough already!" I guess it has to start with us, the people who have it. Easier said than done, but we've got to stop being ashamed. (See what this site has done to me? I'm an optimist now. Tsk...)

I'm doing this too! it's astonishing to me that with meds, even without condoms, a guy has only a 2% chance in a year of regular sex with us of contracting H. He has a higher chance being with someone who doesn't know they have it! amazing. I'm out there educating too. As has been said elsewhere, we ARE the change we are seeking. Adrial has started a support site, and more! You have started a movement friend, be proud. No wonder we all love you xx

It's so hard to be super confident and positive about it sometimes but it's truly been on my mind so much lately. I've been looking for a new passion in my life, maybe starting to educate people would really be what I should start doing... Now just figuring how to start and do something enough to make a true impact is what the real challenge is!

We should all write an "I Have a Dream" speech! :-)

GO Janet! "I have an H dream" ;-D

This thread is what the Herpes Opportunity is heading toward. Coming out of the herpes closet and stopping shaming/segregating/hiding ourselves — effectively realizing collectively that there's no reason to hide as if we're lepers. This is the way to end the stigma. The stigma definitely won't end with us being angry about "those ignorant people" who are stigmatized and suckered in by the shame (I was one of those ignorant people before I got herpes); the way to end stigma is for us to drop the shame within ourselves and spread what is true.

(And by the way, I have some strategic partnerships in the works to take this message to a larger audience. Glad to hear that there are other fellow peers who would like to help out in that movement.) ;)

This whole movement isn't just about herpes. The larger context is about dropping shame as a whole from our world. Shame is the #1 disconnector of humanity. It's what has us believe that we have something that if others knew that we'd be undeserving of connection and love. Once we drop shame and reveal our own vulnerability of who we are, the shame can't exist. That's the movement. This is not about being proud of having herpes, it's about being proud of who we are, regardless of what we have.

That's my herpes opportunity stump speech. :)

Thanks Adrial! I'm really hoping your message will get out there to the masses soon, and of course let me/us know what else we can do to help