Something Positive for Positive People

St. Louis MO - We've seen a rise in new cases of syphilis and discuss some of the contributions there. We discuss not only stigma factors but also the influence of politics in availability for medical treatment. There's an exclusive announcement in this podcast episode as to another service PP will be providing really soon from the time of release. The internal condom has come up a few times over the last two weeks so we also discuss that. Planned Parenthood offers a wide range of services that goes beyond family planning and sexual health services. They offer cancer screenings ya'll! And as the title suggests, we talk more about syphilis and its rising. Use these services, get tested and if you come up positive, seek treatment. Know your status and get yourself tested! I'm on social media @HOnMyChest (especially Instagram where I"m most active) Please rate, review and share this podcast to show your support to the community or you can financially support the podcast at www.patreon.com/spfpp Stay Sex Positive!

Texas Wears Condoms is a San Antonio based organization that ships 25 condoms per month to Texas residents for no cost. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ambie, the Community Outreach Specialist about her role and get more details about the organization. www.texaswearscondoms.org is where you can go to place your order today! Nonprofit organizations such as this one add so much value to destigmatizing STIs by providing a safe space for people to get the resources they need for their sexual health. Please support them if you can by utilizing their service or volunteering to help with packaging and distribution. Call their Volunteer Services line at 210-743-5730 or visit www.universityhealthsystem.com for more opportunities. There is also an anonymous Q&A with Ambie at www.tumblr.com/txwearscondoms The Patreon page is up if you'd like to financially support Something Positive for Positive People and that link is www.patreon.com/spfpp . I'm on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit @HonMyChest. Please support the show by sharing it with someone who can benefit from the content and leave us a review to help us grow. Stay Sex Positive!

www.breakinghivstigma.org is an online platform aimed to normalize conversations around HIV/AIDS. We're in a time where these are manageable conditions and they need to be treated as such. Rashard and I address HIV's prevalence in the black community and how harmful the stigma is in relation to people prioritizing their own pride over their physical health. What could've been 2 episodes easily, has been trimmed down to 1 longer one. We discuss race which is something I know can be touchy, but as a community of sex positive people, this is something that has relevance to this particular conversation and we can all find useful if we listen. Leave a review, share the podcast, or join the Patreon to financially support the podcast at www.patreon.com/spfpp I'm on Instagram (most active there) @HOnMyChest. And I'm on Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit. Stay Sex Positive!

Experiencing rejection is one of those things that's always a challenge emotionally. What helps is being able to reframe the idea that "being rejected" means anything more than that the other person just acknowledges that they can't sustain being the kind of person they need to be in order to be in relationships with us. When we reject others, why is it so easy for us to do that? Just a few things to reflect on when thinking about rejection.

The ideation of Something (sex) Positive for (sex) Positive People had multiple catalysts and this experience was one of them. Adding to the goals, I choose to uplift organizations such as this Nonprofit, St. Louis Effort for AIDS that provide services to people who are positive with HIV and AIDS, as well as offer sex education resources, free condoms, free STD testing and affordable treatment! My experience led me to believe the destigmatization of herpes, the shame around contracting an STI, and unwillingness to know your status stems from the belief that you'll be judged for engaging in sexual activities with partners. When I was tested, while I identify as cis-gendered, heterosexual male, he/him prounouns, I was asked that. I was asked if I was or engaged in sexual acts with sex-workers, trans-people, other cis-men, and I felt the intention was genuinely to be able to inform me according to my sexual preferences and how my health could be affected based on any health risks associated with the kind of sex I have. Uplifting these shame free environments and making it normal to seek regular STI treatment, use these free condoms and get treated soon will help create space for people to be more understanding and aware of the risks that come with having partnered sex so that we're better prepared for how to deal with and manage an STI if we are exposed to one or if someone discloses to us that they have one. This allows for a partner to make a more educated/informed decision while creating shame-free space where the person disclosing is empowered to continue disclosing and giving partners that choice again and again if relevant.  The compassion and empathy I was met with was beyond anything I received at an organization whose services I paid for. This nonprofit is just one of many all over the world that offers these services and I encourage everyone to utilize them. I challenge you listeners of this podcast to find, use, and share these resources so that it's more taboo NOT to know your status than it is to be positive so that we can begin to get treatment early and give sexual partners all the info they need to make a fully consensual decision to move forward sexually with us. Enjoy this episode. This organization is www.viventhealth.org and their Instagram is @viventhealth. I'm on Instagram @HOnMyChest Stay Positive!

A woman who believes in the power of knowing and loving yourself, Erica sees beauty in ordinary things & has an artsy, creative side. In her eyes, sexuality is such a fundamental part of us as human beings & is at the root of what makes a person who they are. Through her work, she endeavors to unblock situations that keep one from sexual fulfillment by normalizing natural human sexual behavior. Her Instagram page @s.xuallectual is an extension of her being. Check out this episode as she shares her chlamydia horror story and having to navigate the challenge of disclosing an STD to not one but two partners! Her story teaches us to move forward in a more informed way. While many of us disconnect from our bodies and sex after having been exposed to an STD, Erica shares a useful way to communicate with your partner(s) to better understand the potential risks of sexual encounters and how to move forward. If you’d like to work together, Erica’s job will be toward a jointly constructed action-plan designed to move toward your goals. Your job will be to set the agenda which can include any facet of your sex life in which you seek improvement, enhancement, or expansion. Erica is Consensual Non-Monogamy, Kink, BDSM, LGBTQ+ and Sex Worker Friendly. Connect @sexuallectual@gmail.com

Piggybacking off of Rae's episode where we discuss support groups, we have Heather who runs the support group HSV in the City www.hsvinthecity.com and is on Instagram @hsvinthecity. Heather didn't have support groups in her local area. Through Instagram's Positive.Results.ATX she found support but way on the other side of the country. In this group, she was encouraged to create something she needed and didn't have access to and here we are. She also shares her own experience having been diagnosed accidentally without consenting to the test. Listen to why this is one of the best things to ever have happened to her! If you are in the Washington D.C. area seeking support, don't hesitate to connect with Heather! Stay Positive! Those Break the Stigma Day (April 24th 2019) hashtags are: #btsd #breakthestigma #whatstigma #herpesstigma

At long last we finally get an interview with Rae, who manages support groups in Austin, Texas for women living with HSV under the Instagram handle: @positive.results.atx We talk about support groups and a little bit about what managing them may look like for someone considering doing so. We bring up the healing power we receive in giving, and of as the title says, "Choosing the Better Option". "Rae is a ray of sunshine" is a cheesy understatement when she herself embodies the sun itself with her presence. A Sister Servant and amazing friend to have, I'm so honored to have been able to share your story on this platform to help people. Connect with Rae on IG @positive.results.atx and check out some of the amazing work she does uplifting the Sisterhood she represents to the fullest! Stay Positive!

Our guest spent years of self criticism and internal chaos until she found her yoga practice which influenced her mindfulness. Learning to increase her own mindfulness and self awareness she's able to demonstrate to us how we can approach life circumstances with more compassion towards ourselves in a way that lightens the world and how we feel about ourselves. We discuss self compassion and its application towards a positive diagnosis or anything that occurs in life. I'm on social media @honmychest Stay Positive!

Fellow HANDS (Herpes Activists Networking to Dismantle Stigma) member Ana Pelaez shares her experience continuing a relationship with an HSV diagnosis after his disclosure to her. This conversation brought out some of my mommy/daddy issues, we use mental masturbation as a placeholder for mind fuck which is exactly what we do to ourselves often after a diagnosis, and we discuss the using our sexual energy in a way that works for us. Ana is on Instagram @ampm_coach Check out www.waxoh.com to see some of the blogs I submit on topics revolving around helping destigmatize STIs and a little bit of my own experiences as well. Leave a review if you like this content and Stay Positive!