By Leslie C.
Part of having a healthy relationship is being able to trust your partner about anything – this includes being able to communicate well with your partner without fear of judgment. Being honest with your bae invites them to do the same with you.
Having an STD is a serious matter. Not getting treated for it is even more serious. But, endangering another person’s health because you don’t want to or you don’t know to tell them you have an STD is not okay.
Pause and reflect on this for just a minute: if your roles were reversed, wouldn’t you want your partner to be honest with you? When one of you has an STD, it’s no longer just about the person with the STD; it’s about both of you! Your partner’s health and well-being is now at risk, too. Being honest with them about your health status means you care about your partner, and care about their future.
No right way to say it, but... it should be said!
There is no right way to tell your partner that you have an STD – it’s all about your relationship’s communication style. However, we do encourage you to have the conversation in person so that you both can support one another. Here’s an idea:
It’d be a great idea to start off the conversation by telling your partner that you care about them, and care about every aspect of their life. Tell your partner that it’s because you care about them that you’d like to always be honest with them, even when the honesty can hurt. From here you can go on by telling them about the nature of the disease, how you possibly got it, what treatment options are available, whether they’ve been placed at risk, and what you both can do to be safe.
We recognize that telling your partner you have an STD is a difficult matter to handle. There’s the possibility of anger, hurt, misunderstanding, discovered lies, unveiling a third person (or multiple people), a break-up…the list is endless. Despite all these possibilities, it’s still important and necessary because everyone deserves the opportunity to protect their health.