A Fresh Take on STI Education

How did you learn about STIs in school? Most of us on the Crash Course team had similar experiences: disembodied images and oversimplified headlines meant to gross us out and scare us into abstinence. Even delivered with the best of intentions, they left us with a jumble of negative emotions, from confusion to shame — both barriers to knowledge (and not the good kind of barrier, like your friendly neighborhood condom). With CC Sex Ed’s STI episode, we knew we wanted to do things differently. First and foremost, we wanted to give viewers the facts they need, plain and simple. So we framed the episode around myth-busting the biggest misconceptions: that STIs are hard to prevent and treat, and that no symptoms means you’re hot to go, to quote Chappell Roan. (In fact, most STIs are pretty easy to avoid, most are easy to treat, and most are asymptomatic.) But we also had a secondary goal: to dispel shame and stigma around STIs. And to put to bed the idea that getting one is a life-ruiner. That’s why we highlighted HIV-positive activists like Billy Porter and Jonathan van Ness, why we eschewed fear for clarity, and why we love Shan’s relaxed, approachable tone.