Unless your parents took you out of health class in grade eight and you have been living in a cave ever since, the necessity of being a sexually responsible adult is not a surprise. Education about the spread of sexually transmitted infections and their potentially life threatening consequences has moved out of the classroom and into the media, where television commercials have replaced the beloved straight-talking health nurse. But despite efforts to educate the public and make preventative measures, such as condoms, readily available in an attempt to curtail the spread of STIs, the American Center for Disease Control has announced that STIs are now an epidemic, as one in two people will have contracted an STI by the time they are 25. Obviously, education alone will not stop the spread of STIs. Treatment for curable STIs and honest disclosure of non-curable STIs to potential partners is essential to reduce the amount of new cases.
The Calgary Regional Health STI Clinic plays an important role in the treatment and education of STIs, but they have recently made a significant change that hinders their efforts. About a year ago, the clinic merged their two waiting rooms, previously segregated by gender, into one co-ed waiting room. When the clinic moved to the new Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre in August, they continued with the co-ed waiting room format, instead of once again allowing patients the privacy and decency of separate waiting rooms. Hanging Calgary’s STI statistics on the lack of gender segregated waiting rooms is unfair, but the shame and fear of the stigma associated with STIs is exaggerated by having to wait for treatment in a co-ed waiting room.
A certain amount of discomfort will always accompany any discussion surrounding STIs. The stigma and shame that accompany STIs are the reason we now call them STIs instead of STDs. According to Jen Slonaker, a Planned Parenthood director of education, “calling it an STI is more accurate and helps to destigmatize it . . . ‘disease’ has very different connotations than ‘infection.’ ” The movement towards a more politically correct word choice demonstrates that an effort is being made to reduce the stigma felt by those infected with an STI. The National Center for Scientific Research in France published a study in 2003 that identified privacy issues and fear of stigma as reasons infected persons use for not being treated for STIs. If shame and stigma are a reason for not seeking treatment, it is safe to say that they also play a role in the lack of, or dishonest, disclosure of an existing STI to a potential sexual partner. Fear of a negative reaction and rejection are powerful hindrances to honesty.
The problem with a co-ed waiting room at the Calgary STI clinic is that it forces disclosure to the strangers in the waiting room. Regardless of the obvious arguments that those in the room are neither realistic potential sexual partners, nor knowledgeable of what STI you are being treated for, your presence in the waiting room is disclosure enough. Shame is a natural reaction to the disclosure of something as personal as an STI, especially considering the stigma attached to being infected. It is difficult enough telling someone you want to be intimate with, but being forced to semi-disclose to strangers makes an anxiety-filled experience truly terrifying. In a separate waiting room, there is a sense of womanly camaraderie that makes the experience one of healing rather than of shame. There is a reason that there are women-only gyms or women-only sections at gyms. Women feel more comfortable surrounded by other women in situations where insecurities are exaggerated. The business minds behind these facilities know that having a space solely for women will bring in women that would otherwise not patronize their gym.
The same principle should be applied here. Co-ed waiting rooms could delay or deter women, especially younger women, from receiving treatment for STIs. While culture makes its way towards reducing the stigma of STIs, measures, such as separate waiting rooms at the STI clinic, should be taken to reduce the anxiety and shame surrounding receiving treatment so that honest disclosures are more prevalent.