Ella Dawson , the 1970s , a recent graduate of Wesleyan is revealing her genital herpes status in an attempt to destigmatize the STI . One in six Americans have genital herpes and that number is just among people who have been tested . 'When a real person , a woman you know and respect , casually mentions having herpes , it stops being a punchline and starts being someone 's reality , ' Dawson said .
Ella Dawson , 22 , a recent graduate of Wesleyan is revealing her genital herpes status in an attempt to destigmatize the STI . One in six Americans have genital herpes and that number is just among people who have been tested . 'When a real person , a woman you know and respect , casually mentions having herpes , it stops being a punchline and starts being someone 's reality , ' Dawson said .