Herpes disclosure: easier than I thought.

[boot_fist]

I started out by telling a few close friends, and they all took it really well. I guess you can say it was for practice. I've been kind of seeing someone lately but I haven't really let it progress because I wasn't ready to tell him. Today I was already in a godawful mood and decided if I was going to get rejected, I might as well do it now. He took it really well. I probably could have been a liiiiittle more positive, but I started out with "Did you know that the cold sore virus can be passed even if you don't know you have it?" and just kind of took it from there. I feel like "cold sore virus" is a little less intimidating than "HSV type 1" and my results seem to agree. I DID end up disclosing through text, but that's mostly how we've been talking lately anyway and it felt appropriate in this situation. I'm not sure where the relationship is gonna go from here, but I'm glad to know my friends and interests don't see me as a total outcast.

[Shannon (SingBlueSilver)]

Congrats! I think the cold sore talk is a great way to start! I have HSV type 1 as well so I should use that next time. I told someone recently too and he didn't think it was a big deal at all! I was totally surprised. So I think that maybe a lot more people are more accepting than we realize. The more I tell, the less weird it feels. It really sucks that it's such a stigma and the information on it is so bad! I mean, I was just as ignorant as everyone else was before this. Also, I don't know how old you are but the older you get, the more understanding people are. I'm 39 and people my age have seen a lot so I think it might be just slightly easier at this age. I think as long as we follow Adrial's advice and keep it positive, we'll all be OK. Also, pick better friends and interests! Quality people are more accepting I've found. Congrats again, I hope it continues for you!