Assuming that we’re sexually active, 80% of us will be infected with one or more strain of human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in our lives. HPV does not have negative health impacts for men; but 10 of the 30 detectable genital HPV strains (there are dozens of undetectable strains) can, in rare cases, lead to cervical cancer in women. Regular visits to the gynecologist and pap smears are the best defense against HPV’s cancer risk, and Merck is now offering a vaccine.

HIV/AIDS affects an estimated 1,000,000 Americans. It is a horrible disease which impacts all corners of society to greater or lesser degrees. Living with HIV/AIDS is trying, and expensive, and emotionally devastating; but given the current state of pharmacology, living with HIV/AIDS is possible. In the United States, HIV/AIDS is no longer the death sentence it once was. Nonetheless, smart sex practices, open and frank discussion with sexual partners, and regular testing are essential to keeping HIV/AIDS rates – and the social costs of this terrible disease – low.

One fifth of sexually active people over the age of 12 have been infected with genital herpes. Genital herpes is characterized by persistent painful sores and, if the Valtrex commercials are to be believed, an irrepressible urge to kayak, mountain bike, and make eye contact with television cameras. Herpes is unpleasant, and may have a role in increased HIV-transmission likelihood, but it is not life-ending. Frank and open discussion with sexual partners is the best defense against herpes, and current pharmacology can greatly suppress the symptoms disease if you get infected.

It is estimated that almost 3 million Americans are infected with Chlamydia. Untreated, Chlamydia can cause serious reproductive damage. However, the disease can be cured with a single round of antibiotics. Frequent testing is the best way to avoid transmission of Chlamydia, and its destructive reproductive impact.

About 700,000 new cases of gonorrhea crop up in the US each year. If untreated gonorrhea can give rise to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in women, and infertility in men. However, gonorrhea is treated with a single round of antibiotics. Frequent testing is, once again, the best defense against the disease’s negative health consequences.

Notice any trends developing? STD’s are surprisingly common; in fact, it shouldn’t be surprising, they are simply “common.” They impact all segments of society – black, white, Hispanic, straight, gay, rich, poor, Yankees fans, Red Sox fans, people that have seen Rent 50 times, people that used to sell burritos at Phish shows in order to pay for their tickets – in huge numbers, and, yet, the world has not come to its fiery, cataclysmic end.

And – while there’s huge disparities, disease-to-disease, in the health and lifestyle impacts – STD’s are something that, at least in America, we can live with. And we do live with them. Especially if we’re engaging in frank and open discussions with our partners, and frequent testing.

But we, as a society, are not forthcoming and candid about STDs. We do not speak of these diseases as public health issues so much as we talk about them as sociological, esteem, or moral issues. We stigmatize these diseases, we sneer at or pity their carriers; we believe the diseases to be symptomatic of moral failure.

But the reality is that STDs aren’t moral failings – they’re merely diseases, and common diseases at that. And most of them are readily treatable, even curable, provided that they are caught early enough. And early detection happens when individuals are well-informed and openly communicative about STDs with ourselves and our partners.

Given the prevalence of STDs, and our national obsession with sex, why aren’t we comfortable talking about STDs with our partners? If being honest and open about STDs is the best thing we can do to reduce transmission rates and health impacts, why do we talk around these issues, or lie?

Our cultural understanding of STDs is, arguably, based on what we’ve been told as children. We’re not told that STDs are a result of unsafe sexual practices so much as that they are results of pre-marital sex, or promiscuity. We’re told, however tacitly, that we’ll be judged if we contract a STD; we’re told that these diseases are rare, and shameful, and disgusting; it’s a persons fault, we’re told, if they are unfortunate enough to be infected.

We’re not told that Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are easily and inexpensively cured, as long as they’re caught early enough. We’re not told that herpes doesn’t ruin your life, that there are drugs to mitigate its effects, that you can still enjoy kayaking, hiking, wine country, the charms of your beautiful girlfriend and her passion for mountain biking, etc. We’re not told that HIV/AIDS is no longer the death sentence that it once was. And we’re certainly not told that nearly everybody has, or will have, an STD at some point in their life.

The realities of STDs do not match up with the fear surrounding them, and we need to enact public health and sexual education policies which rectify this. Our fear of STDs is not rooted in the scientific and public health realities of the issues, but rather in a covert and insidious moralism. The powers-that-be realized long ago that telling us all that we’ll go to hell for sex out of wedlock no longer worked, and so they chose a new strategy.

We should teach our children that sex (even *gasp* pre-marital sex) is commonplace, and natural, and not shameful. We should move away from idiotic policies like “abstinence only” sexual education, and teach our children how to have sex responsibly and safely. High schools, colleges and corporations should host free sexual health clinics and provide free, regular STD testing. High school sexual education classes should teach students how to speak to their partners about STDs without feeling embarrassed, and how to deal medically with infection, should it happen.

We’ll never eradicate STDs, but we can approach them in a mature and constructive way – but only if we learn how to talk about them.