BUZZFEED NEWS – There are a number of STI-focused dating apps, including H Date, HSV Singles, Meet Positives, Meet People With Herpes. Positive Singles is one of the most popular dating platforms for people with herpes, as well as other sexually transmitted infections like HIV and chlamydia. Successful Match, a dating company that owns niche dating sites like MillionaireMatch, InterracialMatch, SeniorMatch, and Meet People With Herpes, created Positive Singles in 2001. It boasts ~2.37M users, but it's experienced increased scrutiny over the years. In 2014, Successful Match paid out $16.5M in a settlement from a class action lawsuit after users accused the company of sharing private data with third parties. Positive Singles has made an increasing effort to recruit prominent STI influencers as product ambassadors over the years. Clinical psychologist and sex therapist Maggie Dancel said an STI dating platform has the potential to help those who are unable to escape the "damning and negative feelings associated with being diagnosed," and ideally find an empathetic community. But it may limit opportunities for growth and acceptance from the non-status community.
Category: MeetPeopleWithH
Very Personal Personals: Dating With an STD
WASHINGTON POST — May 10 — Shawn Henderson tried online dating through AOL, but he preferred a personals site for those, like him, who're HIV-positive. Nancy stumbled across Meet People With H (http://www.MPwH.net). She posted information about herself, along with a photo, and within days, responses from "tons of men" — including CEOs, a firefighter and an architect — came pouring in. More than 65 million Americans live with a viral sexually transmitted disease such as herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and HIV. Many online dating services find the subject of STDs to be taboo. Positive Personals (for people diagnosed with HIV) and After H (herpes and HPV) work like any online dating service. The Antopia Herpes/HPV Network is the largest and busiest STD community on the Web, with nearly 45,000 members (http://www.gotherpes.com). FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST
Mark Brooks: Mainstream dating sites have left this niche completely unattended. A great niche and valuable public service.