Tired of Herpes Jokes? Help Me Make a TV Show!

Duck, I Have Heroes* (thank you autocorrect) is the working title for the 30 minute comedy pilot I’ve written about a woman who learns that she’s herpes positive. I’ve been working on this project for a year.

The idea came to me after binge-watching Special on Netflix and listening to Ryan O’Connell talk to Trevor Noah about the importance of representation in storytelling. He specifically talked about how in all other TV and movies, they allude to gay men having sex, but they always cut away - I hadn’t realized, but he was right. I’d never seen gay sex depicted like they did on Special. Herpes is a big (usually, easy and unoriginal) joke in most media and entertainment, but we haven’t yet seen a story about it that’s REAL. That takes us on a journey, showing us something we’ve never seen before. The idea hit me like lightening that the only way we get to hear stories about experiences we’ve never seen is if we write them ourselves. So I decided to write one.

I started to think - what would it look like to have a complex, messy, real character who’s dealing with herpes? Instead of the punchline of a joke, we could show the anger, fear, joy, isolation, depression, community, desperation, love and pain of navigating this new, unexpected, reality. What would it have been like if I’d seen a character go through this before I tested positive? How could seeing this story on screen help people feel less alone? How could it inspire people to make smarter herpes jokes?

I’ve never written for TV before. I’ve never been paid for my writing before. But I’m doing this anyway. I’m learning and growing and asking for help. And here I am, needing your help.

Networks and producers want to know that there is a want/need/desire/market/audience for a story so I created an anonymous survey that all humans (wherever you are, whether you’re herpes positive or not) can participate in. This means friends and allies can help us change the narrative too - it takes a village!

My asks: 

1) Please take the survey (open until August 31st, 2020) - it takes less than 30 seconds to say you want to see this show made! (And if you’re herpes positive and you want your experiences to possibly be featured in a storyline, answer the optional questions!)

2) If you’re able, please share the survey link - email it to the friend who knows how much you’ve struggled; text it to the partner who knows how alone you’ve felt; dm it to the cousin whose shoulder you’ve cried on; post it to the support group that’s helped you through; share it on your social media stories saying, “help my friend make her project a reality!” 

One of the biggest things that herpes has taught me is that there's so much power in community. I might be writing it, but this is OUR show. Let's make it happen.

And in case you like lists like I do, here’s one entitled: 10 reasons why this show is a good idea:

1) Herpes has never (to my knowledge) been represented as more than a one-dimensional joke in TV and film.

2) The writer (that’s me!) has lived this experience.

3) The writer (me, again!) is a new voice - a new, female, Black, voice. Let’s see new stories by new voices!

4) Stigma is bullshit!

5) People don’t know a lot about herpes .

6) There are people struggling with their positive status alone - community can happen through entertainment.

7) TV can reach A LOT of people.

8) We deserve to know that we don’t have to abandon the ideas of love and a fulfilling life; that there is nothing wrong with us.

9) For the love of god, someone please write smarter herpes jokes.

10) Because it just is.

Thanks for reading. Take the survey please!