Sex educator Mariah speaks about educating youth, how to stay sex positive, and what questions come up most in her “ask me anythings.”
The following is a transcript of the conversation between Karl and Mariah.
MARIAH
Can I get HIV from a public bathroom?
KARL
Hello there. Welcome to +Talk on Plus Life. We’re all about turning positive into a plus. Oh, I’m so happy to see Mariah back with us. Hey, Mariah, how are you?
MARIAH
I’m doing great. How are you?
KARL
I’m doing well. I should say you’ve been on before, Mariah from the sexedfiles on TikTok and Instagram. So we’re gonna talk more about sex ed. What’s new in the classroom, Mariah?
MARIAH
We usually do like an anonymous question box where they can ask sex ed questions without anyone knowing who asked, no name attached to them. But now, they’re like raising their hand. They’re like, I don’t care who knows, I just wanna know this thing, so can you tell me? So I feel like they’re a little bit, they’re brave. They’re more brave than what I’ve seen. And I wonder if that has to do with social media and TikTok, and you know, they just want the information they want. And I think that’s cool. I think it’s really cool.
KARL
Obviously here at Plus Life we talk a lot about HIV and HIV stigma and education around that. What are you seeing in terms of, you know, especially we learned over the summer, the World Health Organization has officially said that if you are undetectable, you present zero risk of transmission. How is that relating in the classroom and the way you are teaching sex ed around HIV?
MARIAH
Yeah, I think there’s still stigma I would say, and there’s still a lot of misinformation. But I think because information is more accessible on TikTok, I usually center TikTok a lot. Because not only am I on it, but I notice a lot of young people are there. That’s where they’re getting their information because it feels comfortable. So in that sense, in the same way where like students are more brave, they’re asking more questions, it’s the same thing with HIV education and anything related to STIs. They now know, okay, this is a real thing. This is a real risk. It’s not just the scary myth out there that used to be a rumor in high school or middle school. It’s a thing. So let’s talk about safety. Let’s talk about the facts.
KARL
How do you just casually drop HIV into a prepubescent or early adolescent’s vocabulary and conversation?
MARIAH
I talk about HIV I guess, from a holistic perspective, not just the scientific piece. Like HIV is human immunodeficiency virus, but also it’s implications on different communities and what we’ve seen or how people have reacted to HIV throughout history. So I also think that that context can be really helpful for youth because then they can kind of see where we are now, and not only like medical advancements but also just how we’re able to talk about it a little bit more freely and understand that anyone can get HIV, but at the same time it’s very treatable and a lot of people live with HIV happily.
KARL
Yeah, so I know that you said, you know, anonymous question time or maybe there is a brave student, one or two students, who put their hand up. What’s the most common question you seem to get around HIV from these students?
MARIAH
Yeah, I get a lot of questions about can I get HIV from a public bathroom? Can I get HIV from swimming with someone who has HIV? Can I get HIV from sharing a toothbrush with someone? So you know, those questions are really, they stem from myths about HIV. They stem from the stigma that exists regarding HIV where people think like, you can just get it by hanging out with someone who has HIV. It’s that fear-based I guess, understanding of HIV. So those are the main questions I get, which, you know, it’s a very easy and simple answer. And I’m able to say like, these are the fluids that can transmit HIV, and those are not usually introduced in these type of casual contact where you’re swimming with someone who has HIV.
KARL
Or you’re brushing your teeth.
MARIAH
Exactly.
KARL
Yeah, so, is there, when you, you know, I think every child develops at their own rate and, you know, especially in this country, parents have very strong opinions about when is a right time to talk to their young people in their household about sex and sex education. But do you have any sort of baseline tips for parents, of young adolescent parents, especially talking around what options are available when it comes to HIV prevention, whether it is thing like prep, condom use and things like that.
MARIAH
I feel like because like sex education is so broad, you can be having these conversations at any time from a very young age, because human sexuality as a whole has to do with every aspect of our lives. But with HIV in particular, I think as soon as young people and children are interacting with others or either coming across movies and media, maybe they hear about STIs or HIV and they have a question. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with talking about it and learning whenever they want to.
KARL
I wish we had more time, because we never do have enough time on +Talk. You’ve gotta check out sexedfiles on TikTok and Instagram. It is Mariah’s gem. She does a great job. Mariah, thank you for taking the time and just having a catch up with us and a chat about all things sex ed and HIV and sex positivity.
MARIAH
Of course. Thank you so much for having me.
KARL
It is always a pleasure, and we’ll have you back too so we can keep this conversation going. In the meantime, that is gonna do it for this episode. If you want more information, check out the website pluslifemedia.com. And remember, you can follow us across social media. We are @PlusLifeMedia. We’ll also put Mariah’s handles up there too so you can check her great work out across TikTok and Instagram. Until next time, be nice to one another. And you know what, have some sex and enjoy it. We’ll see ya.