Thread by @ViralCarmichael, Been thinking a lot about the intersection of purity culture and STIs. [...]

Been thinking a lot about the intersection of purity culture and STIs. As a someone who grew up in evangelical purity culture and who also got their PhD studying herpes, I have unique expertise here.

A thread: On purity culture and genital herpes. Here we go. 1/

First, definitions. Purity culture refers to the teaching that sex before marriage is a sin. In PC, sex should only happen between a husband & wife (yes, PC is also homophobic). Also, you’re taught that if you wait till marriage, you’ll be blessed with amazing sex. 2/

Next, the science. Genital herpes is an STI that is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 or type 2. The virus can infect vaginal, penile, & anal epithelial cells and cause painful lesions. And because it’s a herpesvirus, infection lasts forever. Thanks, latency. 3/

So where do purity culture and genital herpes intersect? Well, I can’t tell you how many times I was told in church/youth group that if I “saved myself” for marriage, I wouldn’t have to worry about STIs at all. But it was lots of times. 4/

Clearly there’s a lot wrong with this teaching. It assumes that both people remain completely “pure” before marriage. It falsely implies that sex is only heterosexual intercourse. It’s largely driven by shame (but that’s a whole other thread). 5/

Somewhere in the middle of grad school I had an epiphany (of sorts). It used to be herpes cannon that HSV-1 caused oral herpes while HSV-2 was below-the-belt only. But I had read that more primary genital herpes cases in the US were being caused by HSV-1, not HSV-2. 6/

There’s speculation as to this shift in disease burden, but it’s important to know that oral sex can absolutely result in transmission of HSV-1. If you have a cold sore (even a healing one) you should NOT be kissing anyone anywhere. (Free pro-tip from a herpes expert). 7/

But it’s important to know that herpes can also be transmitted asymptomatically. Yup, it’s unfortunate. But it’s true. You can transmit herpes with NO symptoms.

8/

Oral herpes can be acquired during childhood (& once acquired, it’s there forever). I mean, just think about how much babies slobber and how kids are little germ factories. They may be cute, but they are also effective disease vectors. 9/

Back to purity culture. Since it relies on the “just wait & everything will be fine” approach to sex, comprehensive sex education is avoided in PC. As someone who went to Christian school growing up, I didn’t even learn about genital herpes till I studied it in grad school

10/

My epiphany: I realized that two virgins who “did everything right” & “saved themselves for marriage” could STILL sexually transmit herpes to each other. BECAUSE NOT ALL STIs ARE LIMITED TO SEXUAL TRANSMISSION. HSV can be transmitted sexually & non-sexually (like HIV & HPV). 11/

So now it’s one of my life’s missions to stop youth pastors from telling naive kids that if they wait till marriage, they won’t ever have to worry about STIs. They’re wrong. It’s a great example why religious leaders should leave health advice to science & medical experts. 12/

Purity culture is damaging for soooo many reasons. But one of its biggest failings is in providing a medically accurate view of sex. It doesn’t. Talking about STIs shouldn’t be weird or shunned. Those of you who know me know I never shut up about herpes

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And as an important note, it is never okay to shame people for having herpes (especially genital herpes). It’s so highly stigmatized. I know I joke about how much I love herpes (like studying it), but I believe it’s critical we show respect & care for those suffering from it. 14/

To summarize:

1) purity culture is harmful
2) genital herpes can be transmitted between monogamous people (yes, even virgins)
3) comprehensive sex education is critical
4) herpes is forever #herpes4life
5) I will never not talk about herpes
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