“One of my favorite myths to bust as a sex educator is about STI testing. When someone says they were “tested for everything,” the truth is—everything doesn’t actually mean everything.”
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The rise in hate toward childfree people feels directly tied to the resurgence of pronatalism.
Men will literally start a trade war with every other nation on earth instead of going to therapy.
"The lab at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responsible for tracking sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—including drug-resistant gonorrhea (what some call “super gonorrhea”)—has been shut down." @sexelducation.bsky.social
“ #Childfree women continue to hold space for mothers, even when they deny us space to be ourselves. Just as mothers have an internal knowing of wanting to bear children, many of us have that same internal knowing that we’re not meant to parent.”
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Not having kids because I know I don’t want to come second doesn’t make me a bad person—it makes me a self-aware person.
“When articles simply declare ‘BV is an STI’ without nuance, they activate all the existing stigma around sexually transmitted infections. These oversimplified narratives do little to educate and much to shame.”
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"Some of my followers preferred when I was stuck in my diagnosis. To be the sad writer, the girl on the examination table, the public martyr for herpes in perpetuity. Taking the brunt of the comments, giving out free advice, offering myself up as a sacrifice for stigma." @sexelducation.bsky.social
If you’re dating with herpes, read this.
I spent years romanticizing a partner’s acceptance of my status while ignoring incompatibility in other areas. Here’s what I wish I’d known sooner.
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“Yes, boring. The same way a scar becomes boring after you’ve told the story of how you got it a thousand times.”
How my relationship to herpes has evolved over the years and what it means for you
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The steady, unsexy work of scientific progress is truly what changes lives.
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“78% of STI treatment videos on TikTok contain incorrect information, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers.” open.substack.com/pub/emilydep...
/4 Want weekly insights about sexual and mental health, sex ed, and dating? Subscribe to my weekly newsletter! open.substack.com/pub/emilydep...
/3 In my latest piece, I explore why humor becomes the gateway to having honest conversations about sexual and reproductive health.
/2 Did you know only 26 states require sex education to be medically accurate? This is just one piece of a much bigger conversation about how we share (and consume) health information in 2025.
I wrote about why it shouldn’t take a meme for us to care about sexual health in this week’s Sexual Health Wealth newsletter 🧵
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5/ This is more than a story about a city. It’s about stigma, identity, and belonging. It’s about rewriting the narratives we inherit.
This essay is now live on my Substack, and of course GO BIRDS💚🦅✨ @philadelphiaeagles
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4/ People hate the fans. They see a city of chaos and dirt (GREASE THE POLES).
But when I’m in Philadelphia, I feel like I’m home.
3/ When I made the decision to move to Philly for grad school, I was told:
“Philadelphia is dirty.”
“Philadelphia is unsafe.”
“Philadelphia is grimy.”
“Philadelphia is mean.”
All comments led to some suggestion of, “Trust me—the last place you want to move is Philadelphia.”
I moved there anyway
2/ Before I even visited Philadelphia, I learned to hate it. A product of growing up near Washington and having parents who support DC area teams.
Fun story on Super Bowl Sunday as someone who is now an Eagles fan: I used to HATE Philadelphia. 🧵
It’s important to know that a lot of productive activity is happening in person and offline, too.
Not all of it can be broadcast online, but we’ve had hundreds of people showing up to our trainings, mobilizations, and more.
Keep going. Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Everything matters.
Can’t talk right now, doing hot girl shit (fighting fascism)
“While I think a national abortion ban may be their first priority, childfree women need to be prepared for what comes next. Vance's carefully chosen words mask an agenda that goes far beyond encouraging traditional family values.”
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Did you catch Vance’s latest comments threatening reproductive autonomy? If you didn’t, I wrote about it for my latest Substack, “The New War on Childfree Women: JD Vance and the Politics of Procreation”
New email response: Thank you for your patience in my response as I process the unraveling of America.
PSA: If you thought you had *comprehensive* sex education growing up, think again. Only 26 states require that sex ed to be medically accurate, while 42 states (plus DC) mandate abstinence-focused programs. Misinformation isn’t education.
Read more through my Sunday Essay series on Substack
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