Featured individuals were compensated for their time.
Sex should feel good, pleasurable, and uninhibited. But protecting your sexual health is still an important part of the experience. HIV prevention is one part of that, alongside other practices that help reduce risk and support overall sexual health. One option people may consider for HIV prevention is PrEP—or pre-exposure prophylaxis, a prescription medication taken before exposure to HIV that can help lower the chance of getting HIV through sex by 99 percent when taken as directed.
While PrEP won’t protect you from other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which can be prevented with healthy sex practices like using condoms—male or female—it can change how you approach sex, especially if you’re at higher risk for HIV. If you have unprotected sex with one or many people, have a partner who currently has HIV, or have been diagnosed with an STI within the past six months, your risk may be higher. HIV also continues to disproportionately affect some communities, including gay and bisexual men, who account for 67 percent of new HIV cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Remember: Anyone can get HIV, and HIV prevention options, such as PrEP, may be appropriate for anyone who is HIV negative. A healthcare provider can help you determine which HIV prevention option is right for you.
Here, we gathered five influencers in the sexual wellness and health space to share why they view PrEP as a significant part of their HIV prevention strategy and how it helps to protect themselves from HIV.
“I take PrEP because it’s an important part of how I take care of my sexual health—and because someone I love reminded me that I have an option they didn’t,” says Brandon Kyle Goodman, a writer, podcast host, and sexual wellness advocate. “I’ve been on PrEP for six or seven years, and I’m a big supporter. A friend of mine who is living with HIV encouraged me to start. They told me, in this really loving, honest way, that PrEP wasn’t available when they were first diagnosed with HIV, and they wished it had been. I listened. This knowledge felt like a gift: to them, to me, and to the people I share intimacy with.”
In Goodman’s experience, PrEP comes up in the moments when people have real questions—like when someone is considering unprotected sex, multiple partners, or attending a sex party and wonders, How do I help protect myself in that environment? That’s when they talk about PrEP as one part of a larger sexual health toolkit that can also include condoms, barriers, and regular testing. “For me, it’s not about fear-mongering,” they say. “It’s about being practical, informed, and honest about how people actually have sex.”
For Goodman, taking steps to help protect his sexual health has influenced how he approaches sex—not necessarily physically, but emotionally and mentally. “I grew up with so much messaging that boiled down to: ‘You’re going to get AIDS.’ That concern gets baked into you, especially as you’re coming into your sexuality,” they say. “PrEP doesn’t erase the seriousness of HIV or the stigma that exists, but it was an important step to help protect myself from HIV.”
When Asia Sullivan, PA-C, MPH, isn’t seeing patients at her West Hollywood, Calif., clinic, she’s on social media talking to her followers about sexual health. “In the clinic, we start with simple, universal questions: ‘Are you sexually active? With who? When was your last HIV test? Do you know that there’s medication that can help prevent HIV?’” Sullivan says. “I like that approach because it’s status-neutral and it doesn’t single anyone out. It also reflects what the data shows: Many people who are eligible for PrEP aren’t on it, often because no one offered it or they didn’t realize it was an option.”
Sullivan sees learning about PrEP as an HIV prevention option as one way to take charge of your sexual health. “The truth is, even in committed relationships, you can’t always know what activities a partner may be engaging in, and you shouldn’t have to feel uncertainty about protecting yourself,” she says. According to her, learning about PrEP helps you to focus on connection, pleasure, and sexual health with less concern in the background.
For those who believe HIV is more manageable now and that prevention isn’t as urgent, Sullivan stresses that avoiding getting HIV when possible still matters. “An HIV diagnosis can affect your body, your mental health, your relationships, and your daily life. PrEP is one way to help reduce that risk,” Sullivan says.
Ultimately, the decision to talk to your healthcare provider about starting PrEP is situational and personal. For example, Sullivan points out that you should understand your risk—not just your sexuality but also your zip code. Take, for example, Sullivan’s home state of Alabama: “There’s a much higher rate of HIV and a much higher rate of HIV among women [in the state],” she says. “We take everything into consideration. For myself—a lesbian married to a woman—we’ve been together for so long that the risk is considered low.” But if, for example, a lesbian couple were to add a male sex partner, she notes, that risk could increase. In the end, Sullivan says, everyone deserves to know that HIV prevention options like PrEP exist, and to work with their healthcare provider to choose the right protection for themselves.
Since PrEP became available to help prevent HIV transmission through sex, Todd Baratz, a psychotherapist, author, and speaker specializing in relationships and sexuality, has taken it and encouraged his clients to consider it, too. “It’s one way to be proactive about protecting my sexual health,” he says. “My story is often my client’s story: We’re navigating sex, relationships, change, and risk in real life. If there’s something that can help us prevent HIV, I believe it’s worth taking seriously.”
Baratz sees taking PrEP as one way to prioritize his sexual health, just as you would in any other context. “PrEP is a practical tool that supports how I care for myself, how I care for my partners, and how I want to show up in the world as a sexual being,” he says. “It’s part of being mindful about the decisions we make and the responsibility we carry with intimacy.”
For Baratz, taking PrEP is one way he is proactive about protecting himself from HIV. “I’m almost 40, and I grew up when HIV used to be considered scary for a gay man. A lot has changed—treatment, prevention, and culture—but the concern is still real for many people,” he says. “After a monogamous relationship ended and I started having sex with other people, speaking with my healthcare provider to learn about PrEP felt like taking a more proactive approach to reduce my chance of getting HIV. For me, it’s a baseline: prevention and being more intentional about my sexual health.”
Marcus Tellez, DO, is a board-certified family-medicine physician and HIV specialist. He sees all types of patients and has heard all the reasons why they don’t protect themselves from HIV transmission through sex with PrEP. People often assume they’re not at risk, particularly heterosexual patients who believe HIV prevention doesn’t apply to them or that HIV only affects certain communities.
But as Dr. Tellez puts it, “HIV prevention should be for anyone who’s having sex—not just for people who identify as gay or queer. If you’re having sex, you can acquire HIV. It doesn’t matter who you’re having sex with or what your sexual orientation is.”
For Dr. Tellez, conversations about PrEP are an opportunity to encourage more open dialogue around sex and HIV prevention. “A lot of people have never had a healthcare provider who creates space for that,” he says. “When I ask about sexual habits—new partners, condom use, what protection against HIV looks like for them—it’s not about judgment. It’s about information. And that information helps someone reflect on their own beliefs, understand their real level of risk, and talk to their healthcare provider about whether or not PrEP makes sense for them.”
He believes patients should feel empowered to advocate for themselves, and if you want PrEP, you should be able to ask your healthcare provider for it without disclosing every detail of your sex life. “Any good clinician should be willing to have that conversation,” Dr. Tellez says. “If your healthcare provider is uncomfortable discussing sex, doesn’t know PrEP, or won’t prescribe it, it may be worth finding someone who will—because it shouldn’t be hard to access HIV prevention.”
Dr. Tellez’s overriding message is this: People deserve to enjoy sex without shame or judgment. In his practice, he encourages that by creating space for open, honest conversations about sexual health and HIV prevention, so patients can feel informed and supported in their choices.
If you aren’t one of the millions of people tuning into The Sabrina Zohar Show podcast, listen up. Zohar advises her audience on navigating the complexities of modern dating and doing so with confidence. At a young age, the certified relationship coach learned the importance of safe sex because her extended family friends were the drag queens at her father’s New York City club in the 1990s, during the height of the AIDS crisis. As an eight-year-old, she would hang out with “the girls,” only to notice that some of her favorites would suddenly stop showing up at the club. “I’ve had to say goodbye to so many people I love and care about who didn’t have an opportunity to live a long and beautiful life,” Zohar says. “Now I think we can take the power back and explore sexuality. We can be fun, we can be open, and we can be smart and protect ourselves at the same time.”
And, it’s with a full understanding of the history of HIV and AIDS that she not only encourages her listeners to explore their sexuality and to be open to new experiences, but to also protect themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. “The only reason I know what I like sexually is because I’ve experienced it. I’ve been out there, I slept with my fair share,” Zohar says. “You have every opportunity to explore your sexuality. If we can do it safely, then I think it’s a win-win.”
In addition to barrier techniques, such as condoms, that can prevent STIs, HIV prevention options like PrEP are another tool people can consider to be proactive about protecting their sexual health. It’s important to understand your options and make informed decisions. Talk to your healthcare provider about HIV prevention options.
Photographer: Celeste Sloman; Prop Stylist: Elisia Mirabelli; Wardrobe Stylist: Liz McClean; HMU: Maria Ortega; Head of Creative: Laura Alesci; Art Director: Arminé Altiparmakian; Video Director: Kandice Chavous; Creative Producer: Camryn De'Costa; Talent Director: Mariano Restrepo; Editor: Carey Rossi