Life

Where People With STDs Find Love

by Nathalie O'Neill

After we found out about a niche online dating site just for farmers, you'll have to excuse us for being less than surprised to learn about PositiveSingles.com, a dating site for people with STDs. Sites like this offer people diagnosed with an STD a chance to get back in the dating game in a more welcoming environment. But health experts worry that singles, often unaware that the same STD can have different strains, see these dating sites as an opportunity to engage in some unsafe sex.

“Whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea, it certainly should not be a substitute for using all the same precautions you would use when dating outside that website,” Dr. Andrew Sikora, a head and neck cancer specialist who deals with cases caused by HPV, told ABC News.Having two strains of HPV can increase the likelihood of developing cancer, said Sikora. Having two strains of HIV also poses greater health risks, since one of those strains could be resistant to the medication the patient is taking.

“Whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea, it certainly should not be a substitute for using all the same precautions you would use when dating outside that website." -Dr. Andrew Sikora

For many singles, STD-positive online dating means a safe space where they can feel sexy again. “It was a good way to get my feet wet again,” Marie, who signed up for PositiveSingles.com after being diagnosed with a strain of herpes, told ABC News. “It can be such a traumatic experience contracting an STD to begin with. It’s a great way to get confidence back [...] I found it incredibly rewarding. I am still sexy. I am still attractive.”Bottom line, regardless of whether you're looking for farmers or fellow STD-positive folks, safe sex is always the rule when it comes to meeting up with your online dating flame – even if you do have the same STD.

Image: Wikimedia Commons