Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Nancy Carteron, MD, FACR
The Back-Story
Every so often, people find The STI Project by way of Googling “celebrities with STDs.”
Initially, this was comical to me as I’m not entirely certain how my website or my name got lumped in with those searches. I’m definitely not a celebrity, despite parading around with my picture all over the web and sharing my story publicly.
In fact, I quit an incredibly lucrative job as an accountant to do this. Quite literally, I designed a website, started writing about my experiences, accumulated a few certifications (which are still growing) and then told my friends and family (Facebook friends and all), “I have an STI and I’ve quit my job as an accountant to talk about STIs and how they affect people for the rest of my life!”
Who the heck does that, right?!?!
Definitely NOT a celebrity.
Right now, I’ll bet you’re wondering how this really has anything to do with celebrities and STIs/STDs at all… Bear with me for just a moment longer – I assure you, I’ll get there. At which point, and understandably so, you might think I’ve completely fallen off my rocker (if you haven’t thought it already).
Anyways, as I began to see this was how some people were coming to land on my site, I learned not only were people finding my website by searching for celebrities who have STDs, they hoped to find a celebrity who’d “succeeded” despite their STI/STD.
They were seeking stories about people they admired, respected, and who had triumphed in the face of the ever-present adversity and stigma surrounding sexually transmitted infections and diseases. They were looking for this because, surely, if a celebrity could overcome the stigma, they could too!
A celebrity talking about STIs or having an STI, therefore, would be proof that their STI was not destined to define them.
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Then There Was None
You may have already guessed what comes next.
The same people looking to find hope, reassurance, and guidance found slanderous blog posts, unverified lists of “celebrities with STDs,” and virtually nothing of any substance to help them deal with their fate – the same fate 21+ million Americans deal with annually and upwards of 70 million Americans are living with (here are some additional STI statistics guaranteed to knock your socks off).
It’s surprising – the staggering number of people contracting and living with an STI/STD annually who have very few positive examples to reference as well as the poor quality of information and reputable stories out there!
After talking with some of the people who landed on my page somewhat by default, they all said the same thing: I was the closest they had come to anyone sharing their story openly and sending a positive message.
My subsequent searches also returned little else.
Naturally, the first thing that came to mind as a newly self-invented STI educator was, “You mean to tell me, of all of the people living with an STI/STD and contracting an STI annually, not a single celebrity has contracted an STI??!?!”
Bologna. Complete and utter bologna!
Regardless, very few (if any) are talking about it.
Sure, Magic Johnson has long been a champion for HIV, and more recently, Jonathan Van Ness and Billy Porter – which is amazing – but what about the 20+ or so other STIs (the World Health Organization says there are more than 30 and The STI Project addresses about 20 of them)?!?! HIV has become much more mainstream recently – stigma still abounds, of course, but so many have begun to rally around the cause. Anne Heche, apparently, talks about being abused as a child and contracting herpes (a harrowing and heart-breaking story). Albeit, this is one of the only other stories out there (people even have the audacity to refute its accuracy).
The majority of people contracting an STI are contracting them (as I did) the good old-fashioned way – they have sex with someone and ta-da!
The point is, the ratio of people contracting STIs to people sharing their experiences is incredibly imbalanced due to stigma.
People are shamed for contracting an STI and spend their lives hiding and embodying the stigma imposed on them.
When someone contracts an STI, they have nowhere to look for inspiration, guidance, or perspective.
STIs are the new scarlet letter.
No one talks about them, everyone* has them, and the only time we hear about them is in crude jokes on late night television or in R-Rated comedies.
Is is just me, or is something drastically wrong with this picture?!?!
It Just Takes One
Here’s where the meat of this post comes in. (Finally!)
I’m challenging you, celebrities, to take a stand with me.
Join me in talking about STIs openly whether you’re Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Anne Heche (I’m just mentioning these folks because their names pop up in my “celebrities with STDs” search), or anyone else – whether you have an STI or not!
Frankly, I don’t care if you have or have ever had an STI at all.
If the rumors are untrue, help me stop the media from using them as a derogatory way to defame celebrities.
STIs are a part of life – unfortunate as they may be – and right now, I can’t see any better solution than to address them.
The only way to reduce the spread or prevent increased STI numbers is to deal with STIs and the people who have them compassionately! In doing that, we strip the comedy from STIs and remove the impact they have as a slur.
Imagine the additional fan base you have an opportunity to accumulate!
This is true whether you have or have ever had an STI or not, quite honestly!! In standing up for those who have contracted or are living with a sexually transmitted infection or disease, you have the potential to greatly affect the lives of so many just by joining me and talking about STIs out loud!
TAKE A STAND.
I’ll even help you.
“How can some random stranger help you,” you ask?
Good question.
First of all, I’m an excellent example of how an STI and talking about having an STI does not stop people from achieving things. In fact, it has grown my (meager) fan-base exponentially (friends included) and the people who love me haven’t disowned me. Rather, they are applauding my efforts, my gall (I like to say I have some pretty big ovaries – as opposed to balls), and they have joined with me.
Secondly, I’ve already done the legwork – I’ve an excellent site primed for your input!
I cannot stress this enough: you have the potential and the power in your hands to effect change.
Yes, I will keep building my website and continue reaching out to people globally regardless of any celebrity support, but I welcome and encourage your support all day, obviously.
Did I mention, I’m global?!?!
Check out my resources – specifically how to find STI Testing Centers globally!
You could reach billions!
With you, I can change the minds of many and let people know that an STI doesn’t have to stop them or break them.
Be authentic and break the stigma with me, powerful people.
- All about Herpes Disclosure
- How to Not Give an Eff about Having an STI
- STI Statistics
- About The STI Project
- STI Interviews
- STI? What Now? Your Ultimate Reference Guide
- The Executive Director’s STD Interview
- STIs – The New Scarlet Letter
- Would You Like to Share Your Story?
- Eradicating the Stigma
- Gossip – STI Haters
- An STI/STD Won’t Stop You
References
- STI/STD Stigma
- Thomas JA, Ditchman N, Beedle RB. The impact of knowledge, self-efficacy, and stigma on STI testing intention among college students. J Am Coll Health. (2020).
- Hood JE, Friedman AL. Unveiling the hidden epidemic: a review of stigma associated with sexually transmissible infections. Sex Health. (2011).
- Wombacher K, Dai M, Matig JJ, Harrington NG. Using the integrative model of behavioral prediction to understand college students’ STI testing beliefs, intentions, and behaviors. J Am Coll Health. (2018).
- Lee ASD, Cody SL. The Stigma of Sexually Transmitted Infections. Nurs Clin North Am. (2020).
- Hutchinson P, Dhairyawan R. Shame, stigma, HIV: philosophical reflections. Med Humanit. (2017).
- Tan RKJ, Kaur N, Kumar PA, Tay E, Leong A, Chen MI, Wong CS. Clinics as spaces of costly disclosure: HIV/STI testing and anticipated stigma among gay, bisexual and queer men. Cult Health Sex. (2020).
- Shepherd L, Harwood H. The role of STI-related attitudes on screening attendance in young adults. Psychol Health Med. (2017).
- Newton DC, McCabe MP. Sexually Transmitted Infections: Impact on Individuals and Their Relationships. Journal of Health Psychology. (2008).
- Charlton BM, Hatzenbuehler ML, Jun HJ, Sarda V, Gordon AR, Raifman JRG, Austin SB. Structural stigma and sexual orientation-related reproductive health disparities in a longitudinal cohort study of female adolescents. J Adolesc. (2019).
Stevan
You’re amazing I hope to conjure up enough courage to just be open with it. There should really be a documentary on it.
Jenelle Marie
Hi Stevan –
Thanks so much for the kind words. It’s certainly not an easy thing to ‘come out’ about, as the social repercussions usually keep people from sharing their stories. However, I totally agree; I’d love to see a documentary done. Any kind of media addressing STDs pragmatically and sans all of the harmful stigma would help initiate a much needed dialogue and could begin to erode a lot of the misconceptions.
Thanks for your comment!