Sexual health. Wait, don't run away yet. You probably read that and immediately thought about sexually transmitted infections and having to get tested. The intrusiveness of the questions about "partners and practices." The invasiveness of swabs and urine specimen cups. Stay with me though. What if I told you the idea of sexual health could be more? That it should in fact be more?
By most accounts, I am at a disadvantage when it comes to sexual health. If I listened to online comments and conversations from peers and strangers alike, one would think I am "toxic" and should wear a sign on my body somewhere that I am a walking "risk factor" and rendered asexual. Supposedly, HIV makes me "dirty," whatever the hell that means. Sadly, bias among health care providers means they don't ask me sexual health questions because they assume I'm just not doing it. In actuality, my decision to live well with my diagnosis means none of this is true. Continue reading...
