The STI Text That Led to Our Wedding

Destigmatizing the Shame Around STIs

Pexels - Kaboompics

As I made my way to the Fire Island Pines for the very first time, I had one thing on my mind: sex.

On the ferry ride over, I daydreamed of lazy days by the pool and busy nights with jaw-dropping men, and as I saw the shoreline draw nearer, I knew that this sexual playground was about to open its gates to me.

Then, my phone vibrated with an unknown NYC area code.

"Hello, this is the New York City Sexual Health Clinic. We're calling today to let you know that you tested positive for gonorrhea."

My stomach dropped somewhere below the hull of the ferry, deep into the waters of the Long Island Sound. Not only did I think my first trip to the Pines was ruined, but the night before, I had just had the best first date of my entire life.

I turned to my friend seated next to me, who read the news instantly on my face.

"How am I going to tell Casey? He's going to hate me."

But little did I know, Casey's answer would literally change the course of my life and teach me a valuable lesson about STIs along the way.

So in today's piece, I'm exploring not just my story, but current STI trends facing the gay community, what we need to do to be responsible members of a sexual community, and of course, what Casey said that made us both know that this was something that would last forever.

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