Something Positive for Positive People

www.betterhelp.com/spfpp to get 10% off your first month of counseling services with Betterhelp.Visit www.TryLgc.com/SPFPP and at checkout enter code SPFPP to get 30% off any at home test kit from COVID to STIs.Supporting our sponsors supports the show.

For 10% off your first month of counseling services with Betterhelp, visit www.Betterhelp.com/spfppFor 30% off your first at home STI testing kit, visit www.trylgc.com/spfpp and enter the promo code SPFPP at checkout.

Visit www.trylgc.com/spfpp and use spfpp as a promo code at checkout on your first STI Test kit to save 30% today.To save 10% on your first month of services from Betterhelp, visit www.betterhelp.com/spfpp today.Supporting our sponsors is one way to support the podcast.

Get 30% off your first STI testing kit using promo code SPFPP at checkout by visiting www.trylgc.com/spfppFor 10% off your first month of therapy/counseling services visit www.betterhelp.com/spfppSupporting our sponsors supports the show!

www.trylgc.com/spfpp enter the code spfpp at checkout and save 30% on any test kit from our sponsor Let’sGetCheckedwww.betterhelp.com/spfpp gets you 10% off your first month of therapy/counselingSupporting our sponsors is the best way to support the podcast.

White people are currently asking the question "What can I do?". In reference to people with conditions, we use people first language, so applying that here, you are a person with whiteness. Don't Question your humanity, your natural instinct to see the human in another human. Question your perpetual use of your whiteness. YOU have to look at HOW and WHERE it is being put to use. When you ask, "what can I do?", that shouldn't even be a question a human has to ask about injustices done to other humans. There shouldn't be questioning at all, only reflection on the use of your inherited whiteness in a time where those without whiteness are suffering because of it.

For 30% off your at home STI test kit (which includes herpes as an option) visit www.trygc.com/spfpp and enter the promo code spfpp at checkout.For 10% off your first month of therapy/counseling, visit www.betterhelp.com/spfpp

Save 30% off your first at home STI test kit from LetsGetChecked when you visit www.TryLgc.com/spfpp and enter spfpp at checkoutGet 10% off your first month of counseling/therapy at www.betterhelp.com/spfpp

Save 30% off your first at home STI test kit from LetsGetChecked when you visit www.TryLgc.com/spfpp and enter spfpp at checkoutGet 10% off your first month of counseling/therapy at www.betterhelp.com/spfpp

If you're on the fence about publicly disclosing your herpes status online take a listen to this one. Our guest shares her own experiences with not needing to for that sense of liberation people assume comes with it. It's often assumed there will be a sense of rejection by default. When we disclose, there's three potential responses; me too, no thanks, or tell me how we can be safe moving forward.

There's power in having a great support system. If that isn't available to you then self-reflection via journaling. Our guest shares her decision to open up about her own diagnosis publicly. A herpes diagnosis carries an energetic weight that often gets heavier the longer we're unaware of it. How we choose to address it often is contingent on how the first person receives our disclosure. It takes a strong person to move that weight. If you're breathing, you can handle it, just like our guest.

Quick reminder that this podcast serves as primarily an experience based hub of resources supporting those navigating stigma. Our guest is a New York based health care worker who is positive for HSV and yesterday tested positive for COVID-19. We discuss precautions taken in the healthcare field, the responses to her COVID diagnosis and similarities to her herpes diagnosis. We will revisit our guest once she's back at work with your questions for her. Please email questions for her to answer or have answered by a credible source in relation to HSV and COVID-19 by emailing me at Courtney@spfpp.org and we will have answers for you on part 2.

With so much passion coming from the up and coming generations to remove shame. Coming out of an abusive relationship and ducking a stalker all in one, our guest shares what drove them to wanting to be a resource to help those with HSV.

What celebrities have herpes? What happens when someone tries to publicly out you on social media? Why do we forget to ask potential partners about their STI status after offering ours? How can someone 'out' your status by mistake? This and more with our guest here.

Brittany Policastro is a transformation coach writer and yoga teacher of 16 years whose mission is to empower people to love themselves fiercely and be themselves unapologetically.Through her raw and vulnerable blog, The Breakthrough Blog and Instagram page Brittany challenges social norms through conversations around sex, STIs, relationships and Polyamory.Brittany is currently in training to become an Authentic Tantra sex and relationship coach and sexologist.She has been featured in The Huffington Post, Origin and Mantra Magazine, Women You Should Know, Elephant Journal and several podcasts.Instagram: @brittanypolicastroFacebook: brittanypolicastrocoaching

Link to the Celibate Swingers episode: https://www.spreaker.com/user/9828276/jks-ep-7-celibate-swingersFollow the hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Sting on Twitter: @jkswingingpod

Closing out the inside look of my process of doing "the work" on myself, I give you what I learned over my week off my HOnMyChest social media, an inside look at what my dating life has been and then the conclusion to it all, followed up by a discovery I made as a result of talking through everything you hear here. To top it all off, I share the best piece of advice I ever received which is to just know when to shut the f*** up. If nothing else is taken from this episode, I say keep in mind to hold intention over expectation at heart. My healing process is ongoing, as yours should be. Replace any of my experiences with what you are facing and maybe it'll be a template for you to fill in blanks.

Thank you to Tina Cummings for connecting us to our guest for this much needed episode.Christine Frampus, M. Ed., LPC, RPT, NCC has been a School Counselor at KIPP Wisdom Academy with KIPP St. Louis for the past five years, and a School Counselor in St. Louis for the past eight. As a School Counselor she has worked with students ranging from K - 12, but currently finds herself at an elementary school. She currently works with students who have a wide variety of needs, experiencing the loss of a loved one being one of them. Outside of school, Christine works as a Therapist at Terrace House, a private practice located in Lafayette Square.Christine received her Master’s in Social Work from St. Louis University and her Masters in Education from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Registered Play Therapist.

Here we get a look at what healing and "doing the work" looks like from my own personal experience. I'm making a point to share more of myself as I ask a lot of podcast guests. I share what the stages of my own healing looks like post-awareness.

The book, Skill in Action can be found at www.michellecjohnson.com if you want to explore this and learn more about the workshop/meditation leader, Michelle C. Johnson.

So there’s a Golden, Platinum and silver rule already. Here we have the Gray rule. I had to do what I could. I didn’t catch it until after I recorded the episode.

Check out their podcast: https://innerhoeuprising.com/The Inner Hoe Uprising Podcast is a smart and funny podcast about sex, love and dating from 4 black feminist 20 somethings living in NYC. I first heard of this podcast when someone shared a podcast episode they did interviewing someone living with herpes.

Link to attachment styles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s9ACDMcpjAFollow Leslie on Instagram @MakeGodGayAgain

Leslie is a 3rd year PhD student studying power, privilege, and oppression through the lens of anticapitalism. Her research focus is on white supremacy and male supremacy, especially in the context of online cultures. Her work on anti-oppression, love of the internet, and skill with general tomfoolery can be seen at its best on her Instagram meme page, @makegodgayagainI’m adding a note that Leslie misattributed "The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State" to Vladimir Lenin at 30 min, but the author is actually Friedrich Engels. Thanks for listening!

Stephanie can be found on Facebook at Stephanie Lynn Boyd or Instagram at StephanieLBoyd_. She helps women with herpes release the shame of disclosing and find the relationship they deserve. Website coming soon: www.stephanieboydcoaching.com

Follow Priscilla on Instagram @mentalrealnessmami.Priscilla María is a mental health writer and speaker. Her work has been featured on some of the internet’s most popular platforms such as TheMighty and Blavity. Apart from writing, she advocates on behalf of several organizations including: a local domestic violence shelter, The Confess Project and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) as a recipient of the Dean’s Merit Scholarship, and her Bachelor’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, graduating cum laude. To learn more about her visit www.priscillamaria.com

Lorrae Jo, the Founder of Slutty Girl Problems believes every woman deserves an awesome, loving relationship with her partner(s), her sex life, and herself - and it’s her mission to make sure that happens. Her goal is to empower women. to create the life and love they crave - with relationship, mindset, and wellness tools to live adventurous, free, and happy AF.For as long as she can remember, Lorrae’s been interested in sexuality. Since college, it’s been her passion. In kindergarten, she got in trouble for kissing boys on the playground. As soon as she learned how to use a computer, she was up late learning about sex from porn (not the best sex-ed tool, but she worked with what she had).

*Trigger Warning* Reference to childhood sexual abuse* Our guest, David Wraith, showed up in my life at a time where I thought I was the only sex positive black, non-monogamous man in the Midwest. David brought into my awareness that questioning and exploring your sexuality as a man should be liberating and not something that just automatically makes you something that isn't heterosexual and he talks us through how we can navigate that. We joke about him being a retired sex worker and we talk about how his kinks evolved after becoming widowed and there was hypersexuality in his grieving. David is a co-founder of Sex Positive St. Louis, and has the radical audacity to be himself!

Skip ahead 22 minutes for the start of the discussion. I got carried away in the intro just thanking everyone for the personal changes I've experienced alongside the expansion of this podcast. Thank you all so much for allowing me on this journey with you! This was a live recording of a co-panel discussion about herpes from a medical perspective and experience based perspective put together by Kendra Holliday, Co-founder of Sex Positive St. Louis. We talk through some HSV basics and answer a few questions. I share my experience in a room full of herpes positive, sex positive, herpes negative, risk aware, just an overall accepting crowd. Afterwards we mingled and exchanged experiences among one another and asked more questions and had some gooey butter cake. This event opened up my range of perspective to see that this is something with potential to happen again in collaboration with other sex positive communities. What was most cool to me about this was that it was such a mixed crowd and people with herpes who normally wouldn't attend something like that in fear of being "found out" managed to come socialize and get a glimpse into what it can be like to surround yourself with others who are understanding or seeking to learn about the virus and experiences people have with it. Resources mentioned: SexELDucation - Emily Depasse Penny for Your Thoughts Campaign Asking for a Friend - Rich Mancuso The STI Project - Jenelle Marie Pierce HANDS - Herpes Activists Network Projectaccept.org Cdc.gov

We hear from a Public Health Nurse who shares how using suggestive language helps her to serve communities that are challenging to connect with. People who exchange sex for survival (sex workers) and inmates have resistances to getting tested and treated. Our guest, Tessa shares some of what she's learned working with these groups. Tessa can be reached @tessa.robinson@co.washington.or.us

November 19-22 of 2019 I attended STD Engage. The most universal way I can think to describe it is that it was a conference of public health professionals where the goal was to exchange experiences in order to best serve those affected by STDs. What I learned cannot be condensed into the episodes I recorded while there, but this is definitely a start! I met and interviewed Amanda B. Dennison, Director, Programs and Partnerships about her experience. Amanda was diagnosed with genital herpes and as a public health professional stigma has to look a little different, right? I'll let Amanda tell you all that. Check out this episode of Something Positive for Positive People with the National Coalition of STD Directors' own, Amanda B. Dennison. Contact: Adennison@ncsddc.org; 202-969-0988 Director of Programs and Partnerships with National Coalition of STD Directors

In "Psychocybernetics", Dr. Maxwell Maltz shares a story of a weary traveler who is hunched over, fatigued and moving slowly as he progresses down the road. Along the way, he's met by a child who points out a heavy boulder on his shoulders, asking "why are you carrying that boulder?". The traveler hadn't thought about it before and set it alongside the rode and progressed with a straighter posture, standing proudly. Another stranger notices some weeds around the travelers ankles and knees which the traveler hadn't noticed before, so he pulls out his pocket knife and cut them off, now walking upright and at a faster pace with greater stride down the road. The point of this story is to highlight that the traveler had problems that he was completely unaware of. He struggled without knowing he was until these things slowing him down were brought into his awareness. We have the ability to heal ourselves and move at greater strides in life, but only when what needs to be healed is then revealed.

Who gets herpes and then writes about their sex life? I'll tell you who! Carolyn Toney! After her friends' support caught her off guard compared to the negative feedback she expected thanks to stigma, she was pretty comfortable out the gate about her status. Her blog, Tales of Toney (link below) is where she writes about her amazing sex life despite having HSV. She poses the question in dating, "If I didn't have herpes, would I still want to be with them?". Carolyn has a big confidence about her that we need in this community. It's amazing to have an outspoken black woman who is polyamorous, unapologetically herself and advocating for sexual health conversations in the communities we represent. Carolyn has appeared on the Whoreable Decisions Podcast episode 128 and the Shit I'm 30 Podcast episode 88 spreading that good word about sex positivity! Check out Carolyn's stories by visiting www.talesoftoney.com

There's a lesson on forgiveness to be learned here. I've always considered myself fortunate to not know where I got herpes from. Not knowing left me with no one to blame. What about those who have a firm belief they know exactly where they got it from and those who know due to having been informed? This podcast is for those people. Learning to take the lesson on forgiveness when you come to learn that there really is just no blame.

Connect with Angela at:www.therapistinstlouis.comwww.aboutsexpodcast.com

If you're considering purchasing a herpes cure from one of those social media accounts that shares the Gmail email address as a contact, please just don't. What you should do is consider listening to someone who did purchase it so that you can be best equipped to make the best decision for yourself. Our guest shares the red flags she missed so that you can find your way to healing that doesn't cost $2k. As of the release of this podcast episode, there is no known cure for herpes that permanently removes the virus from our nerves, prevents outbreaks or protect partners from exposure. Our guest's story involves sexual assault so protect yourself as needed while listening through this podcast episode.

Respecting identities is suicide prevention. Our guest this week shares her earliest memories of homophobia experienced by her father. She reflects on her anger up until 35 years of age when she finally saw fit to just be herself. Despite having lost her comfort in the privilege she had, she is far more happy and confident now than she ever was in denial about who she was. Please enjoy this episode of Something Positive for Positive People with Staci Bratten!

There’s an echo that follows when I speak but our guest is crystal clear. I encourage you to listen without headphones or just turn me down when I speak so that you can get this great content from Laura!

Seems like whenever I question or doubt myself in this space I'm met with just what I need to see or hear from someone. I share thank you messages on social media but this one . . . I let Heather share

There are many ways to get involved with advocacy. In my experience, I've connected with people who get inspired by someone's work in this space and charge into making a social media post sharing that they are positive for herpes. If you're in that space, I encourage you to listen to this podcast episode so that you have more perspective to make the most informed decision you possibly can.

Clarice can be found on Instagram @pieces_of_reesesHer website is youraccountability.coachFacebook: Clarice Connolly

Something Positive for Positive People is a donation based podcast that shares the stories of people living with herpes. In addition, I interview sexuality experts, sex educators, sex workers, therapists and medical professionals to provide useful information on STDs and the psychological effects of a positive diagnosis.

Welcome to the 100th spfpp episode (by number). I answer a few listener questions and interview the mind behind the sexually expressive Instagram handle, @strictlysex, Follow her for a sex positive, explicit sharing of sexual turn-ons, wins and conversations with like-minded people in this space. We talk about her recent diagnosis with genital HSV-1 and her experiences with past partners who've had herpes prior to her diagnosis.

Save 20% off your first at home STI test kit from LetsGetChecked when you visit www.TryLgc.com/spfpp and please don't forget that spfpp there. Get 10% off your first month of counseling/therapy at www.betterhelp.com/spfpp

Brittany McBride is the Senior Program Manager, Sexuality Education at Advocates for Youth. She is responsible for partnering with national education organizations/associations and implementing collaborative strategies to provide resources, TA and training to support implementation of sexuality health education across the country. Prior to joining the Advocates team, Brittany managed multiple teen pregnancy prevention programs funded by the Office of Adolescent Health in the state of Louisiana. Brittany also served as a curriculum consultant for the charter management organization Firstline Schools. She graduated from Tulane SPHTM with a Master’s in Public Health and earned a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry from Xavier University of LA

Trigger warning to survivors of any kind of abuse. Our guest is 25 year old, Z who was diagnosed with genital herpes at age 15. There's some triggering backstory to her trauma. The dysfunction of this trauma has become normalized. When people say they're a product of their environment, what that means is there's a systematic structure in place that encourages particular behaviors. In Z's experience, we're talking about sexual abuse, predatory behaviors, pedophilia, physical abuse, shame, and secrecy which enables things to be done in the shadows. Please take care of yourself listening to this episode especially if you are a survivor of abuse. This is important. What hit me the hardest is that Z said her life would've been different had she just had an open space to talk. When she received it from the father of her 9 month old child, it was used to manipulate her and she was then abused. We have to do something different. Even if that starts with recognizing Z's story as one of many taking place as we speak. Proper sex education can become a foundation to create openness in communities and homes so that there is language and encouragement to point out dysfunction and illegal behavior. One resource I recommend in helping navigate sexual health talks in families for parents to initiate these conversations is www.sexpositivefamilies.com.

Founder of The Institute for Sexuality and Intimacy, Dr. Lexx Brown-James, LMFT, CSE can be found on Instagram @lexxsexdoc. We discuss the over-sexualization of black bodies, how sexual trauma and therapy look different for black people, guilt vs shame and the history of STIs. You can also visit www.lexxsexdoc.com to check her out.

Your partner contacts you and says they've tested positive for syphilis. You follow the protocol which is to go and get tested and treated at a medical clinic. You get there and are informed you have to come back after the weekend. You go to another place and are told you can't be treated. Even with insurance, what are some of the barriers that would hinder this simple process of someone receiving proper treatment? Dr. David Malebranche shares a story no one should have to experience with their health care provider to be seen about possible STI contraction. About the guest: David J. Malebranche, MD, MPH, is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician and expert in men's health, student health, racial inequities in medicine, and LGBT health, as well as the prevention and treatment of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). He is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Medical Director of Student & Employee Health at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Malebranche is an experienced qualitative HIV behavioral prevention researcher who has completed several studies on sexual health among Black men of diverse sexualities. Dr. Malebranche has published over 50 articles in medical and public health journals such as The Annals of Internal Medicine, The American Journal of Public Health, JAMA, and the Lancet, He is known as a dynamic speaker worldwide and has appeared in documentaries on CNN, ABC News Primetime, TV One, and Black Entertainment Television (BET) for his expertise on HIV in the Black community. Dr. Malebranche served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) from 2006 – 2008 and was the HIV clinical expert on WebMD from 2010 - 2012. He also appears in the video series #AsktheHIVDoc, which promotes HIV education on prevention and treatment, and Revolutionary Health, a biweekly YouTube Live health web series that is part of The Counter Narrative Project, an advocacy organization for Black same gender loving men. In 2015, Dr. Malebranche published his first book, a memoir about his father entitled Standing on His Shoulders. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Theydies and themtlemen, we open with the importance of pronouns, define queerness, discuss how attraction evolves, and some precautions positive vulva owners can take with their vulva owner partners. And PSA Coldsores are herpes.

When you meet good people doing good things, you try and help them do it better. Connected through a mutual friend, Tyler and I spoke about our nonprofit resources and how our goals aligned in the reproductive wellness space. It was when he talked specifically about the patient you’ll hear about in this episode who was met by compassion and empathy from a medical physician who exercised presence, you’ll understand why it was so important that he share that story and that space was created on this podcast for this organization that provides cervical cancer screenings fro women in Ecuador and its surrounding areas, and much more. Our Mission is to provide comprehensive care that reaches the needs of underdeveloped communities through people and technology. As the group continues to serve the population in rural Ecuador, Trek Coalition has a multifaceted approach to create a lasting impact for the patients it serves. The short term goal is to partner with sustainable and trusted organizations that are already established in countries and provide them with professionals willing to help. These professionals can be in a multitude of medical disciplines including General Medicine, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, OGBYN, Physical Therapy and Public Health. The long term goal is to develop a technology platform that collects and stores patient records for in-country organizations. With greater insight into patient history and medical information, better care can be provided both in the short and long term. With our professional presence of physicians in-country, adequate training and education will grow in lockstep with our platform. Visit https://trekcoalition.org/ for more information. Please subscribe to, rate and review Something Positive for Positive People and share episodes with everyone ya can!

I asked SPFPP listeners if they experienced any of the following upon their herpes diagnosis; depression, suicide ideation, self-harm tendencies, attempted suicide. We had a rather large participation on this and 6% of listeners said they had in fact attempted suicide. This podcast episode is for you. This world would not be as it is in this moment without you. Please know that you are necessary.I'm working to get to STD Engage: http://www.ncsddc.org/std-engage-2019/ to present SPFPP to the people who can get this resource to people when they're diagnosed. That's my goal for this. You all answering this survey sharing how listening to this podcast has helped you has been a tremendous help and I gotta tell you I didn't see it doing all you say it has done for you.I talk about this and make some small talk in this episode. I also don't edit this one because I choose to practice speaking better so that when it comes time to talk to these people and present to donors, I get better. I 'like' and 'umm' and don't use silence very well so please bear with me ya'll. Thank you for your patience and support.Now this STD Engage event (if I'm approved) costs $550 to attend lol. So if you want to donate to help make that happen please send donations through www.spfpp.org. We take Venmo!!!Stay Sex Positive!