Five years ago in July, the FDA approved the daily pill Truvada as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at risk of contracting HIV. It took a few years for it to catch on, but uptake is on the upswing. In The PrEP Diaries: A Safe(r) Sex Memoir, journalist Evan J. Peterson reveals his adventures in HIV prevention. Before starting PrEP, Peterson had been dating guys who were HIV positive and undetectable. “I did my homework,” he tells POZ, “and I realized I am so far less likely to contract HIV from an undetectable person than from someone who doesn’t know their status or thinks they know it and they don’t.” With PrEP in the mix, he’s even more enthusiastic about serodiscordant relationships. But don’t expect a tawdry tell-all in these diaries. Peterson bucks the stereotype of the so-called Truvada whore—all the more reason for him to share his story. What’s more, he hopes to help inform the world about PrEP and its effectiveness. “And,” he says, “I want to reduce HIV stigma and help people have more confident and compassionate sex lives.”
The PrEP Diaries: A Safe(r) Sex MemoirInstagram/Evan J. Peterson
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