Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
April, National STD Awareness Month, brings the return of the award-winning campaign "GYT: Get Yourself Talking, Get Yourself Tested." Cosponsored by MTV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Planned Parenthood, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. GYT encourages young people to start conversations about STDs with partners and health care providers.
According to the CDC, people under age 25 represent half of the estimated 19 million STD cases occurring annually in the United States. Left untreated, STDs can increase the risk of HIV infection, infertility and cancer, said a news release from Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta.
"More than half of all teens will become sexually active during their high school years," said Julie Mickelberry, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. "By the age of 25, one in two sexually active young people will contract an STD. It's time for young people to feel comfortable about talking with their partners, their health care providers, and their parents about being tested."
GYT plays off popular mobile and Web slang such as "OMG" (Oh, my God) and "LOL" (Laughing out loud). In 2009 the campaign helped boost STD testing among young people at Planned Parenthood clinics, including a 36% increase in male patients and an 18% increase in female patients from the previous year in 10 nationally representative Planned Parenthood centers.
Louisiana has the country's second-highest rate of gonorrhea and the fifth-highest rate of chlamydia. On April 27, Planned Parenthood will join other organizations participating in Healthy Teens Coalition Day at the Capitol. The aim is to educate legislators about the importance of comprehensive sexual health programs, said Mickelberry.
Planned Parenthood offers low-cost STD testing at locations around the country.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Lexi Love comes out as HIV+ after Trump deletes federal resources
January 23 2025 11:23 AM
Grindr is reminding us why jockstraps are so sexy and iconic
May 02 2025 5:36 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Trump admin moves to end federal HIV prevention programs
March 18 2025 6:10 PM
Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources
January 31 2025 5:29 PM
Celebrating Black History Month with our annual African American issue
February 01 2025 3:28 PM
Tyler TerMeer vows to continue to fight for health care for all
January 28 2025 3:00 PM
Discover the power of Wellness in your life
March 26 2025 12:41 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Dancer. Healer. Survivor. DéShaun Armbrister is all of the above
July 02 2025 8:23 PM
BREAKING: Supreme Court rules to save free access to preventive care, including PrEP
June 27 2025 10:32 AM
1985: the year the AIDS crisis finally broke through the silence
June 26 2025 11:24 AM
VIDEO: A man living with HIV discusses his journey to fatherhood
June 10 2025 4:58 PM
Trump admin guts $258 million in funding for HIV vaccine research
June 03 2025 3:47 PM
HRC holds 'die-in' to protest Trump health care cuts
April 28 2025 2:11 PM
Two right-wing Supreme Court justices signal they may uphold access to PrEP and more
April 21 2025 4:10 PM
500,000 Children at Risk: PEPFAR Funding Crisis
April 08 2025 3:51 PM
Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes
April 03 2025 7:15 PM
The Talk Season 5 premieres this spring with HIV guidance for the newly diagnosed
March 26 2025 1:00 PM
Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring
March 26 2025 12:20 PM
Jess King is here to help you live your happiest, healthiest life yet
March 24 2025 4:35 PM
Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times
March 11 2025 3:38 PM
Plus nominated for 2025 GLAAD Media Award
January 22 2025 12:42 PM
A camp for HIV-positive kids is for sale. Here's why its founder is celebrating
January 02 2025 12:21 PM
This long-term HIV survivor says testosterone therapy helped save his life.
December 16 2024 8:00 PM
'RuPaul's Drag Race' star Trinity K Bonet quietly comes out trans
December 15 2024 6:27 PM
Ricky Martin delivers showstopping performance for 2024 World AIDS Day
December 05 2024 12:08 PM
AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed at White House for the first time
December 02 2024 1:21 PM