Navigating Life and Intimacy After a Late Herpes Diagnosis

Joyce is a 64 year old Black Lesbian living in NYC. She was diagnosed with HSV in 2014 and shares some well needed wisdom to navigate not just this diagnosis, but also dating in a way that only an someone with this much life experience can articulate. At her age, sex is important, but it’s a different kind of priority. We discuss what to look for in dating outside just what our eyes see and tell us what we prefer. We chat about how supressing needs “for” another person to not hurt their feelings, while not only hurting them anyway, but also damaging the relationship. We also talk about meeting people “the old fashioned way”. I was curious about how she met people given that she’s 64. She says she just talks to people. So today I’m going to go work out without my headphones and attempt to make convos with folks and report back about what happens. This will NOT be a habit lol. Most of my work is audio based and listening to things so I’m gonna make the effort today and see what happens.