Jenelle Marie Pierce is the Executive Director of The STI Project, the founder of the Herpes Activist Network, and is the spokesperson for Positive Singles. As an STI + Sexual Health Educator and content creator, Jenelle is dismantling STI stigma through awareness, education, and acceptance.

What She Shares:

The definitions of STI and STD, and how they differ
Safe sex vs safer sex
How many sexually active people contract STIs in their lifetime
Her own journey with untangling STI stigma

What You’ll Hear:

Understanding that you are not alone with an STI diagnosis
The majority of people living with STIs are unaware of their status
Untangling the stigma around genital herpes
Understanding that STI stigma originated with stigma around sex
How different cultures view herpes
Removing the differentiation between HSV1 and HSV2
Examining your own views on promiscuity and what it means to be ‘good’
Understanding the impacts of a positive STI status and learning to communicate about it
Identifying the reasons why we engage in sex so we can have full agency over our choices
Determining how and when to disclose your STI status
How having an STI can increase the authenticity of relational communication
Giving yourself time and space to determine if you want to move forward in a sexual relationship with a positive partner
Remembering to embrace the pleasure of sex
Holding personal agency in sexual decisions
Finding an STI educator that fits your needs and style

"All The Science Stuff" with Max Coleman, MS