Sex Blogger of the Month: Jenelle Pierce of TheSTDProject.com

Here at Kinkly, we strive to do more than help you explore your sexual desires. We also want to help you get educated in all things related to sex. That's why our May Sex Blogger of the Month is Jenelle Marie Pierce, founder of TheSTDProject.com and Spokesperson for PositiveSingles.com. Jenelle's direct yet approachable work educates those who need more information about STDs. Here are Jenelle's answers to Kinkly's 10 questions!

Kinkly: Give us three words that describe your blog.

Jenelle: Empowering, comprehensive, relevant.

Kinkly: What inspired you to start the blog?

Jenelle: At 16, when I contracted genital herpes, and for many years after that, there weren't resources like mine. Everything available was overly sterile, clinical, and matter of fact, and while that kind of information is still important, it didn't help me move forward. Those resources didn't help me with the grey areas and learning how I could have healthy relationships and be sexually healthy while still living with an STI/STD...so I made one that did.

Kinkly: What's behind the name?

Jenelle: Our name is pretty direct, and that's intentional. I considered something clever or an acronym, but I didn't want to hide behind the stigma. I wanted to address it. Just the letters "S, T, and D" send people squirming. We wanted to challenge that immediate reaction and open the discussion right from the start. We also chose not ot use STI in our title because while that's a little more accurate and current, most people outside of sexual health education aren't aware of what STI means. We wanted to make sure that if an everyday person was searching "STD symptoms" they would be able to find us. The whole idea is to meet people where they are, rather than preach at them from where we think they should be, and in that way, we hope to make our work more palatable and approachable.

Kinkly: Who's your target reader?

Jenelle: Pretty much anyone who wants to know about STDs - whether they are trying to reduce their risk of contracting STDs, whether they have been diagnosed with an STD, or whether they know someone who has an STD. Our demographics are interesting as well. Right now, we receive about 200,000 views from 100,000 unique visitors each month - men, women and non-binary, all ethnicities, all abilities, many are between the ages of 18 and 30, all income brackets and education levels, and from all areas of the country and the globe. Really, ,there are very few sexually active people who are not impacted by STIs/STDs in some way.

Kinkly: What's unique about your blog?

Jenelle: I think what makes our blog stand out is the personal stories - mine and those of our readers who come and share their perspectives anonymously. We also have our fair share of expert and medical practitioner articles, but it's the personal, raw, and honest voices that stand out the most when you visit The STD Project.

Kinkly: What is the topic you find yourself covering most often and why?