We know that hormonal birth control doesn’t protect against STDs, but now it turns out it might actually increase the risk of infection. Whoa. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a group of researchers at the University of Washington accidentally discovered a link between hormonal contraceptives and an increased risk of contracting HIV during sex with an infected partner.  In conducting a trial testing the effectiveness of a ... Read More

When this Finnish HIV/AIDS awareness ad came out, it sparked a lot of controversy: was it empowering or was it slut-shaming? Was it slut-shaming, or female-shaming in general? Just because there is another ad with a man on it, does that make it okay? I'm still not completely sure. At first I was shocked and disgusted by the ad--it's been traveling the Tumblr circuit recently, which is where I first came across it--because the ... Read More

German pop star Nadja Benaissa, formerly of the girl group No Angels, has officially been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and attempted bodily harm for neglecting to tell sexual partners she was HIV-positive. Between 2000 and 2004, the singer had apparently had unprotected sex at least 5 times with 3 separate people without informing them of her condition, which she discovered in 1999 during a test while she was pregnant. One of ... Read More