“One who loves their body will protect their body. It’s not about a man, a husband, it’s about self.”

SM: What kind of protection do you use?
Marvelyn: I practice abstinence—no, I’m kidding. Can you believe that people come ask me to speak [at high schools] and tell me I can’t talk about condoms or sex? You need to get real.

I simply use a condom and use a condom correctly. And I educate my partner—we know how it’s passed and how it’s not passed.

SM: A lot of women feel that when they’re in monogamous relationships, they can have unprotected sex with their partner. What do you tell those women that want to have sex with their partners without a condom, just like you did with your boyfriend?
Marvelyn: I had friends who were married when they found out they were HIV positive. But at the beginning of their marriage, they went and got an HIV test [and were negative], so how did both of them become HIV positive? Either he got infected the day before the wedding or he was doing something in the marriage. Either way he cheated.