Caught between anger and betrayal, a young man wrestles with the weight of undisclosed truths and the harsh consequences of silence. His desperate act to protect others ignites a fierce debate, challenging the fragile line between exposure and empathy, judgment and understanding.
To cut a long story short, I slept with a girl called Madison at a toga party. We had both been drinking but not in anyway drunk. Just a couple beers. The next morning a friend approached me and asked why I slept with her when she has herpes.
I had no idea and obviously would not have slept with her had I known. I was annoyed she did not disclose this and feel she had a moral obligation to do so before sleeping with anyone.
When I confronted her she admitted she has genital herpes but said it wasn’t a big deal, it never flares up, she hasn’t passed it on to anyone etc. I don’t really care for these excuses, and when I pushed her for an apology she said I was being a pansy.
Following this incident, I took it upon myself to share her herpes status on our university’s Facebook pages anonymously. I did this so that other men (or women, if she swings that way) don’t get tricked also.
Although it’s obviously me that did it, she can’t prove it, and I haven’t gotten in trouble for it.
That said, she has organised a campaign against me for “slut shaming” and “harassment” against her for the posts, and successfully convinced a few groups of my guilt. The posts in question were literally bland and vanilla: “Beware of X.
She has genital herpes and does not disclose this fact to those she sleeps with.” Absolutely no mean words or slurs.
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) is currently facing strong social repercussions after revealing another person’s private health information online following a sexual encounter where that information was not disclosed beforehand. The central conflict lies between the OP’s belief that they were justified in exposing the information to protect others and the backlash they received for violating privacy and engaging in public shaming.
Is the act of anonymously sharing a sexual partner’s non-disclosed sexually transmitted infection (STI) status online a justifiable act of public protection, or is it an unforgivable breach of privacy and a form of harassment that warrants the social consequences the OP is now facing?
Here’s how people reacted:
But man, you fucking spread her incredibly personal business to everyone in your university, and you didn’t even have the balls to do it with your own profile. You’re definitely an asshole. You may have very well have caused serious damage to her social standing and mental health. I can only hope that she can handle the hate she’s doing to get and doesn’t do anything stupid to harm herself.
– she has no say on who that person shares this info with.
Also, while I know you’re young, don’t have sex with people without a recent STD test that shows they are clean. You should have one as well to show them. It isn’t romantic, or sexy, or fun, but it’s better than a life long regret.
She’s an asshole for not telling you. But at the end of the day, everyone is responsible for their own sexual health. If you sleep with a stranger, you take a risk. It’s not right for you to divulge EXTREMELY personal information about someone. The people who sleep with her have their own responsibility and take their own risks. It’s up to them to protect themselves, you don’t need to assume that responsibility.
If she decides she wants to have casual sex, it’s fine, but she needs to disclose any STIs to ANYONE she intends to sleep with. What she did to you may actually be a crime where you live. If I were you, I’d reach out to your university counseling for information and I’d get tested yourself. Even if she doesn’t have symptoms she could still have passed it to you.
Also, I suggest educating yourself more on STIs, and what actual risks are (these can change greatly depending on medication, etc, others or even yourself may be on.
She’s saying you’re “slut shaming” well if she’s having sex with people and potentially infecting them then she could use a little shaming.
Her for none disclosure, and going to a toga party.
You: For harassment, anonymous none the less, and going to a toga party.