Question:
http://www.simplexlove.com/

Answer:
This CNN story might be of interest:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/condi...net/index.html

Answer:
I am not something to be placed in a category. I don't have to go to a site to date others that have herpes just because I have it myself. I am better than that. I did not contract it by choice. I was not careless, my boyfriend of five years cheated on me and did not tell me that he did and then slept with me giving me this infection. I find it ridiculous, a site dedicated to those that have herpes. You are telling yourselves that you are not worthy of choosing who you wish to date. So someone that is raped and given this virus should be stuck with this social stigma of having to date others with the same virus as themselves. I think not! Things happen for a reason and who knows why, may it be Karma or to make you stronger. We are not dying. Yes, it is hard to have to tell another person, I know, I just had someone that could not deal with it, but in a way it can be taken as a positive thing. The person has to really love and care for you to want to stay and deal with your problems as well. A person that loves you for all that you are will take the whole package. I saw a woman that said that she stayed with a man even though that she did not really love him just because he had it too and she did not want to have to go through the dating scene again. That is a sad story. Don't become part of that story. I refuse to. I am too good. I respect myself too much for that and take pity on those that look at others with herpes with disdain. They do not know the history of each person and how it was acquired. They may even have it themselves, but ignorance is bliss as we all know. Those that hate us are the one's that hate themselves. Those that fear us are uneducated. Those that think less of themselves need to look in the mirror and inside and think how beautiful they really are. This is only a virus and you are not dying, take it in a different perspective and life will be better.

Answer:
Thanks for that inspirational feedback, Shockedtohear. I have HSV 2 and I just started dating. I am afraid of going further and began looking online to avoid confrontation. Thanks to you, I see this issue in a different perspective. Please keep encouraging people to believe in themselves and not let something as small as this get in the way. This is my first time in a support group and it has been very helpful. I don't feel alone anymore. Do you know where to find local support groups?

Answer:
I am not something to be placed in a category. I don't have to go to a site to date others that have herpes just because I have it myself. I am better than that. I did not contract it by choice. I was not careless, my boyfriend of five years cheated on me and did not tell me that he did and then slept with me giving me this infection. I find it ridiculous, a site dedicated to those that have herpes. You are telling yourselves that you are not worthy of choosing who you wish to date. So someone that is raped and given this virus should be stuck with this social stigma of having to date others with the same virus as themselves. I think not! Things happen for a reason and who knows why, may it be Karma or to make you stronger. We are not dying. Yes, it is hard to have to tell another person, I know, I just had someone that could not deal with it, but in a way it can be taken as a positive thing. The person has to really love and care for you to want to stay and deal with your problems as well. A person that loves you for all that you are will take the whole package. I saw a woman that said that she stayed with a man even though that she did not really love him just because he had it too and she did not want to have to go through the dating scene again. That is a sad story. Don't become part of that story. I refuse to. I am too good. I respect myself too much for that and take pity on those that look at others with herpes with disdain. They do not know the history of each person and how it was acquired. They may even have it themselves, but ignorance is bliss as we all know. Those that hate us are the one's that hate themselves. Those that fear us are uneducated. Those that think less of themselves need to look in the mirror and inside and think how beautiful they really are. This is only a virus and you are not dying, take it in a different perspective and life will be better.

There are dating sites for people from the Ivy League who prefer “their own”.
There are dating sites for people who are rich.
For people who are white.
Who are paraplegic.
Who are Christian.
Who are Jewish.
Muslim.

And not all of these self-segregating dating sites are full of the self-pitying. Some of these people have plenty of esteem but just don’t want to deal with infecting somebody else.

I think you’re being really presumptuous about what brings other people to value a site like the above. It’s not necessarily as dark as you may be making it out to be. I heard of a person who did not have an STD who preferred to meet people from these websites because they found them to be more honest in relationships than others.

Whether you like it or not, life is a category. Age is a category. Somebody’s apparent genital health condition which they have said nothing to you about when they undress is a category. The kind of treatment for HSV that is best for you is partly based on gender and that is a category. Whether you like it or not, you are already in a category--bunches of them.

Let me see you walk down the street at night from your flat tire--conveniently next to a drug rehab clinic--and be completely unconcerned about all the categories around you—the drunk men on the corner yelling “hey baby”. The other ones with gangster colors on doing a double take at the contents in your car…the pit bull vs. toy poodle walking toward you and not on a leash.

You are giving the simple act of discrimination a bad name when we do it everyday and wouldn’t last long if we didn’t. Plus you are assuming that people who partake of these sites pity themselves. NEWSFLASH: People who pity themselves aren’t trying to date anybody. They’ve left the game. These "website category" people are playing the game by rules they find reasonably ok. To each their own.

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I've only seen the last couple of messages here and as quirky as it is I thought of the movie "Fight Club" and how the two mostly main characters met because they were intentionally going to support groups. It didn't matter if they had the disease or problem that needed support they seemed to be looking for something else.

If you don't need a club then no one is going to make you go. Sometimes it is more comfortable to go somewhere where you don't feel the need to have to explain yourself or your situation whether it be ethnicity, religion, etc.

I'm okay with my herpes status. I'm going to keep living my life and not let things get me down. The more I educate myself about this the better I actually feel. It was those first few days when I was in shock about the diagnosis that I felt really depressed and like my options were about zero. Now that has changed for me but I'm not going to get down on someone who might benefit from a support group, or a web site to meet people, or even a church outing. We all need people in our lives and since we're all different there should be something for everyone.

Answer:
I apologize that people misread my post. I was just trying to clarify to others that we don't have to be confined to a herpes dating site. If people choose to use a herpes dating site than all the power to them. As for me, I will not. I will date as I always have and meet people as I always have. I am no different than I was before other than having herpes.

I apologize that people misconstrued what I wrote. I find this forum a great place for support and it has helped me immensely. I feel confident in who I am however and feel that I don't have to be confined to a herpes dating forum. I can date whomever I wish too, as long as they feel the same way. I was only trying to give others a boost a confidence in going out and meeting others and it seems that it was taken as I was bashing multiple sites all together. Well by no means did I mean how it was taken, other than giving confidence. People have the freedom to choose whom they wish they date or meet regardless of their creed, race, or medical background.

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shocked2hear,

I was trying to agree with you yet lend acceptance to the others out there who may feel less secure. Heck I work so many hours that if I was single I'd probably stay that way for the rest of my life.

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My post was more for tohealth than you caliope