Something Positive for Positive People

Dr. Evelin Dacker, a board-certified family physician and executive director of Sex Positive Portland, discusses a new safer sexual communication model called STARS. This method helps individuals disclose herpes statuses to partners, emphasizing self-awareness and clear intentions for healthier relationships. Dacker highlights how shame influences our experiences and stresses that we are not defined by our infections. The conversation also touches on the importance of consent, personal boundaries, and open dialogues to enhance intimacy.

What does race have to do with sex education? .Why are minorities at a greater risk than their counterparts for STIs and teen pregnancy? What factors play a role in teaching black and brown communities sex education? How do we use the truth to keep our youth from being vulnerable to deception? We answer these questions and address parental concerns about teaching sex ed to their kids who "shouldn't be having sex in the first place".

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 share the details of the recent survey I took from listeners living with herpes about their initial negative emotional responses to their diagnosis and how listening to Something Positive for Positive People has helped them.

Trigger warning as we cover domestic abuse. Please protect yourself as we get to that part early on in the episode. Most of our focus is on self-image and body positivity. Check your self-talk. If you have a hard time checking how you speak to yourself, then act out of accordance with those negative thoughts. Challenge hateful THOUGHTS with loving ACTIONS and see how that voice changes for you. Please take the survey monkey to help us get in front of some very influential people who can make things happen for spfpp. One o my goals is to make finding support less challenging for people when they're diagnosed. Answering this two question survey gives me the data to get there (End date July 25, 2019): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XMTLTL8 This is the event I hope to attend: http://www.ncsddc.org/std-engage-2019/ Thank you all for your support. With a $25+ donation to spfpp.org send me your t-shirt size and address if you're in the USA and I'll send you a t-shirt! Stay sex positive! About the guest: Emily "Keanunani" Arnstein is a former ballerina who spent her young life struggling with self-image after being criticized by the dance community for not having the right body shape and size. As an adult, she overcame these negative thought patterns by developing self-talk strategies, understanding the "function" of the body as it relates to health and fitness rather than placing the value of self-worth on physical appearance, and surrounding herself by an accepting and supportive community. She now studies and performs Hawaiian hula (a body-positive and accepting dance community) and aims to pay forward her improved sense of self to help empower others to overcome challenges with health, fitness, and body image, and to help them recognize their ability to make positive changes in their own lives. Website: teespring.com/stores/healthy-hula-girl Instagram: @Healthyhulagirl Facebook: Healthy Hula Girl

Primarily masculine identifying people connect with me about the quantitative information about herpes and the primarily feminine identifying people connect with me about the qualitative information about herpes. I want to test this by getting more men on the podcast so fellas, let's step up. I know there's a fear around being vulnerable and open about sexuality and the feelings behind a diagnosis but it's the only way to lower boundaries and connect! We gotta match that energy being expressed in this space. If you have the means to do so, please consider donating to Something Positive for Positive People by visiting www.spfpp.org. This supports the podcast and getting people living with an STI with therapy if they're struggling with their diagnosis. If that's a lot for you right now, please leave a review on whatever podcast player you're listening on. Stay Sex Positive!