DEAR STARTING: For your safety, it is important that you disclose your status early, before there is any sex involved. If you don’t, the straight man could react violently and possibly put you in danger.
At this point, it would be a good idea to contact PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) because it can put you in touch with resources to help you through your journey. The largest increase in new individuals reaching out to PFLAG is now among people with “trans” issues — and this includes both trans individuals and their family members.
It is critically important to seek out a culturally competent therapist to help you with specific issues. To find referrals and a local chapter, visit pflag.org.
DEAR ABBY: My husband is in Afghanistan for a year. When he returns, I want to ask him to get tested for STDs before we have sex. I do not have any specific reason to think he would be having sex with someone while deployed, but let’s face it. He’s a man, and a year is a long time to abstain when there are females present.
I have seen text messages from his buddies that read, “What happens on deployment stays on deployment,” regarding them cheating on their spouses.
How do I approach the subject in the most effective way? I know that when I do, he will be mad, but it’s not the first time that STDs have been a problem in our relationship. Help!
— THINKING OF MY
HEALTH
DEAR THINKING OF YOUR HEALTH: One would think that a man who loves his wife would want to be absolutely POSITIVE that he wouldn’t give her a sexually transmitted infection.
However, because your husband has given you one before, it is perfectly logical that you tell him it is the reason you want him to be tested before resuming your marital relationship.
Write Dear Abby at
www.DearAbby.com or P.O.
Box 69440, Los Angeles,
CA 90069.
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