Chicago, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/31/2014 --Staring at her tear stained face in the mirror, Emma tries to get her thoughts together. She knew this moment would eventually come but she’s scared that David will leave her after they have “the talk” tonight. The fear, guilt and anger is beginning to eat away at her confidence as she resents herself for letting the relationship get this far. How dare she hope that David will love her unconditionally once he finds out she has genital herpes. As Emma starts to cry again, she tells herself, “No man would ever want a woman with damaged goods.”

Similar to Emma, there are a lot of men and women who experience the same harsh realities of fear, shame and unworthiness. They seek out companionship in either social gatherings or online dating sites but receive backlash for having an STD from those who cannot relate. Unlike the founders of eHarmony, Match.com and other dating sites, Jack Lombardi founded MeetPositives.com because he understands how hard it is to live with an STD.

“I was affected by seeing firsthand how the stigma of having an STD impacted [people’s] happiness...I wanted to help so I took action by creating MeetPositives.com,” said Lombardi. “I want people to feel worthy again and never have to have ‘the talk’ again.”

According to the CDC, 1 in 4 people are infected with Herpes and nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections happen every year in the U.S. The mission of MeetPositives.com is to help eliminate the social stigma that comes with having an STD and to provide a platform to lower the rate of transmission through awareness, containment, and responsible dating and socializing.

Lombardi, who has an extensive background in entrepreneurship and internet marketing, has created a dating website that allows its members to email, instant message and video message one another. Those who wish to interact with other members offline can attend local events, support groups and learning workshops created by event coordinators.

MeetPositives.com is $250,000 shy of completing the entire structure of the website and is seeking contributions from STD organizations, pharmaceutical companies and anyone who wants to help support the millions of people affected by STDs. An indiegogo campaign has been created for MeetPositives.com and for information on the campaign or to donate, please visit http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/start-fishing-in-the-right-pond-and-never-have-the-talk-again

For information on
Contact:
Alishia Alexander
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
http://www.MeetPositives.com
708.834.4606 alishia@meetpositives.com