In this episode, Hannah is joined by Courtney Brame, who is the founder of Something Positive for Positive People, a non profit organization that serves as a self-help resource for people with herpes. Courtney discusses why sexual health is mental health, and the need for people with positive STI diagnoses to receive therapy. He and Hannah talk about why there are so few spokespeople amongst Black men with herpes, the need to have more diverse voices in sexual health, and what identity-validating healthcare looks like. Finally, Courtney gives some advice about approaching disclosure and dating as someone herpes positive, and shares why he wants healthcare professionals to be more educated and forthcoming when discussing the impact of positive STI statuses on sexuality.

CW: mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation in the first 11 minutes

✨MORE ABOUT COURTNEY BRAME✨ Courtney Brame is the Founder of Something Positive for Positive People, a sexual health communications platform taking the lived experiencds of people who've been diagnosed with an STI (sexually transmitted infection) before, and educating the public on how to navigate the stigma that comes with it. Something Positive for Positive People advocates for the integration of the lessons from his podcast guests into the CDC's STD Prevention methods, evolving them into a more inclusive and impactful strategy Courtney calls "STI Minimization", which focuses on the non-intercourse based ways sex happens between partners as a way of reducing risks of new infections. - Something Positive for Positive People: www.spfpp.org - Courtney's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneybrame_/

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