Can you imagine if they like taught this kind of STI awareness in high school? Like sex
ed? Absolutely fucking useless. Did you learn? Did anyone learn anything in sexual education
in PE? I did not learn anything. Also, it was all about heterosexual sex. There's nothing
about homosexuality, bisexuality, queerness, anything across that board. Nutter. It's literally
like the man has a penis and the girl has a vagina and then they make love and babies.
That was pretty much the extent of my high school sexual education. Hello and welcome
back to another episode of The Bisexual Biologist. My name is Riley, your host for the show,
and this is a podcast where we talk queerness, nature, and everything in between. On today's
episode, we're taking a look at our cute and cuddly friends, the drop bears, aka koalas.
Not only are these little guys fighting for their lives against the unregulated logging
of old growth eucalyptus forests, they are also battling against a nationwide epidemic
of an infection from the bacteria known as chlamydia. Today, we'll touch on why they
are so vulnerable and what is being done to help them. Whilst we're on this topic of
chlamydia, we're also going to explore the stigma that surrounds STIs in human society
today. So strap in as we save koalas from extinction and humans from shame around STIs.
Hello, my lovelies, and welcome back to another episode. So we're going to start with a little
few fun facts about a koala bear as they are an Australian native animal, and I think a
bit of really great to talk about them. So koalas, aka drop bears for tourism ads, or
koala bears are arboreal herbivorous massupials. So that means basically in layman's terms,
they live in trees, they eat plants, and they have a pouch which their young live in when
they give birth to them. So they are native to Australia, only found here nowhere else
in the world. Their closest living relative are wombats, and they are found in coastal
areas of the islands, eastern and southern regions. So they inhabit Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria, and parts of South Australia. They are very easily recognizable by their
cute body types, so they're little stout, tailless cuties. They have a large head with
big round fluffy ears and a dark nose. They also are colored silver to grey and brown
with bits of white throughout their fur, and they also have opposable thumbs. So that means
so we have thumbs here in the insides of your hands. They also have another set of thumbs
on the outside, so they have dual thumbs on their hands which is super handy for when
they're climbing trees looking for a juicy eucalyptus leaf to munch on. So that's just
like a little bit about koalas. They're really cute, really adorable, everybody loves them.
They're very popular in zoos, tourists love to, you know, get a picture of the koala,
take a photo with the koala, Australia's, you know, rock and ice. But they also are
quite vulnerable. Their international conservation status by the IUCN is currently listed as
vulnerable, so that's in the threatened subcategory. And this is mainly due to unregulated logging
of eucalyptus forests throughout Australia. So big habitat loss affects them, increase
in urbanization, the more buildings being developed on land which used to have koalas
everywhere, as well as invasive species or pets such as dogs attacking and killing them
is another reason why koala numbers are dwindling. And also their lack of protection against
the disease chlamydiosis which is caused by the bacteria chlamydia percorum and chlamydia
pneumonia. Now this is a different strain of chlamydia that humans contract, but it
is still within the same genus and it is still a sexually transmitted infection and it has
a lot more, I would say, harsher symptoms and effects compared to what we get. So a
little bit more about koalas. So typically they inhabit open eucalyptus woodlands as
the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. So eucalyptus leaves are actually
toxic to most animals. Koalas have a specialized digestive system and gut microbiome which
allows them to break down the nutrients within. They are largely sedentary and sleep for up
to 20 hours a day. They're social, the mothers bond to their dependent offspring, the males
communicate with bellows that intimidate other rivals and attract mates and they like to
mark their presence with secretions from their scent glands located on their chests. Like
other marsupials, koalas give birth to young known as joeys at a very early stage of development.
They then crawl into their mothers pouches where they live for 6-7 months until they
are fully weaned around 1 year old. They have few natural predators and parasites but as
I was saying are threatened by pathogens such as Chlamydiaeaceae bacteria and also the
koala retrovirus. Because of their distinctive appearance koalas along with kangaroos, emus
are recognized worldwide as symbols of Australia. Okay so why are these cute little cuddly bears
so drastically impacted by this infectious disease known as Chlamydiaeaceae? Well it's
because they have no natural protection to this disease. They live on an island and were
isolated for millions of years and it's thought to have been transferred to the koalas after
exposure to feces of infected sheep and cattle. Now we all know where those sheep and cattle
came from, it would have been from European colonizers when they headed on over on their
big boats with all their diseases and livestock and invaded Australia. So cute little koalas
would have just been hanging in their trees you know living their best lives. Obviously
there would have been some sheep or cattle starting to be let free, wild or farmed I
should say and it probably would have bordered on some eucalyptus forest that would have
been cut down. And koalas probably curious little critters that they are would have climbed
down from their trees one day stumbled upon this new smelling thing on the ground and
most likely either touched it, sniffed it, maybe they ate it, who knows they're a wild
animal they are known to eat other animal feces such as dogs they eat their own shit
you know. And obviously the disease Chlamydia was in there and then once it gets into their
system if you have no natural protection if you've never been exposed to this before any
bacteria virus will take a foothold and not let go and that's why they are so heavily
impacted by this disease today because it just runs rampant in their population. So
what does it do to these poor little koalas? So it causes infertility, it causes blindness,
fatigue, swollen eyes as well as a wet bottom which sounds absolutely horrible because what
happens is the walls of the bladder thicken so much that it becomes ineffective in both
holding and expelling urine. So you basically have like a leaky bladder which then just
seeps down into your fur and your bottom which they use a lot to sit on because they
wedge themselves in forks of eucalyptus trees they have a very rough very callous ass they
sit on eucalyptus forks all day so if their bladder is constantly leaking and not expelling
urine properly and it's just going to wet that and make it soft and open to cuts and
scrapes which then leads to more infections though it's not a very fun experience for
the poor little guys. It also can be ocular or urogenital in its infections so they get
it in their urinary tract they also get it in their eyeballs so you can get all this
horrible swelling and bleeding and itching and it's just not very nice and it's quite
tragic so because they have no natural protection it obviously once it gets in a population
it spreads quite rapidly so it is sexually transmitted infection it can also be passed
on to offspring so if a female has contracted the chlamydia bacteria and she gives birth
her offspring will also be raised with the disease so it's a lose lose situation in
the reproduction game essentially. So higher expressions or numbers of the disease is found
in areas of disturbed habitats such as those close to urban environments mining sites who'd
have fucking thought or bushfire impacted zones. This is all due to koalas being forced
closer together as resources are more limited and competitive so I know koalas eat eucalyptus
but they don't eat every specific species of eucalyptus and in like a ballpark of the
under I think this one like 500 species of eucalyptus trees they eat roughly around 80
of them so if their land their home their habitat is being destroyed and becoming smaller
and smaller and smaller if there's only like one edible tree in say like a five kilometer
to 20 kilometer radius all the koalas are going to be going there to have a koala party
and eat and just chill hang out so that's just breeding grounds for transmission of
the infection so that's why it's really important in conservation methods is to keep them isolated
from other populations which do have the disease present but that's quite hard because their
habitat is getting smaller and smaller every single day because the Australian government
loves to just log all our national forests for timber fucking awesome it's unregulated
they don't give a fuck so that's quite tragic and needs to be fixed so that's why they are
suffering is because they're losing their home and they're getting closer and closer
together and this disease is just taking over because they have no natural defense against
it treatment of koalas is there a silver lining well they have a specialized adaptation that
allows them to break down the toxic compounds found in eucalyptus leaves so not many animals
can eat eucalyptus because it is quite toxic this is a problem though so this is mainly
aided by their large gut system that is home to a very specialized microbiome of healthy
bacteria which i had the same so antibiotic treatments are tricky because even though
they may kill off the chlamydia bacteria which is what happens to humans if you contract
chlamydia you get a bacterial antibiotic sorry script because the antibiotics kill off all
bacteria they also have the potential to destroy the important gut bacteria of the koalas which
then can lead to the koala dying because the toxins from the nutrients of the eucalyptus
leaves that they eat are no longer able to be broken down or taken up sorry the toxins
can't be broken down and the nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves also can't be taken
up because their specialized microbiome in their gut has been fucking annihilated by
the antibiotics so bit of a tricky one it's like save the koala but then also you may
kill the koala because it can no longer eat its food so these treatments would have to
be done in rehabilitation centers where the koalas can be given like a food via like drip
or nutrients kind of thing if you go out in the wild and just you know give them a dosage
of antibiotics that most likely won't help them because they probably starve to death
or die from toxic overload of eucalyptus poison bit of a pickle we're in a bit of a pickle
trying to save the koalas there is a new vaccine trial for koalas underway but again the problem
with this it's very resource heavy and costly and there isn't much funding going out to
these little guys because we'd rather let mining corporations and oil corporations live
tax-free in Australia so you know that's my two cents and I could go on about it but I
won't another issue that they do face with trying to treat koalas is because of their
specialized digestive system it also neutralizes and breaks down medicines at a faster pace
than it can be put into the body because of their super livers so there's a lot going
on in terms of trying to save the koalas and problems that arise there are people out there
doing work there are lots of rehabilitation centers so in summary of our koala experience
that we've learnt today urbanization does pose a threat to koala populations however
the animals can survive in urban areas given enough trees that they can feed off the other
reasons why they're listed as vulnerable is because of collisions with vehicles and attacks
by domestic dogs cars and dogs kill about 4,000 koalas each year to reduce those deaths
we're trying to look at exploring wildlife crossing options to get across the ridge so
injured koalas and koalas infected with chlamydia really badly are often taken to wildlife hospitals
and rehabilitation centers so they're the ones doing the works in a 30-year retrospective
study performed at the New South Wales Koala Rehabilitation Center they found that trauma
was the most frequent cause of admission followed by symptoms of chlamydia infection so it's
number two in causing koala deaths it's not nice it's not good there are people doing
things out there to prevent it and to save them but unfortunately it's kind of like a
double-edged sword the only treatment available right now so now that I piqued your interest
or lost your interest who knows in terms of koalas and chlamydia we're going to do a
little segue in this episode so we're obviously talking about koalas first up but now we're
going to move into STIs in humans and the shame and stigma that surrounds them in our
society so my girls not just my girls my boys um the she's the they's the gays the her's
the I don't know what to say anymore so social stigma remains a barrier in testing and treatment
of STIs to this day so we all have sex it's a core and pleasurable component of the human
experience I can vouch for that I think everyone can vouch for that it's natural it's normal
it's fun you should be doing it if you're not why not get out there get slutty have
some fun with it um but practice safe sex all right that's the reason of this episode
safe six and if you catch or contract an STI they're no different in terms of being a virus
or bacterial infection that you may get such as the common cold the flu or the sore the
sore throat or a sore throat it's how they're transmitted that causes stigma in society
because sex is involved because your genitals are involved STIs are often viewed as dirty
or slutty or have an aspect of shame and ridicule associated with them when you get a diagnosis
this in turn often results in people avoiding regular testing ignoring their symptoms or
even hearing some societal ostracization so the only way to combat this is to talk about
it more make it normalize and break down the stigma around it because look if you're going
to have sex and you're going to have unprotected sex at some point you'll probably catch or
contract an STI I should say and that should not mean you should isolate yourself or go
into a shame spiral and not get tested or not get treatment or just like freak out don't
do that that's bad so with regular testing safe sex and open and clear communication
with your sexual partners this is what is crucial to combating this shame if someone
judges you or is unable to have these kinds of conversations then my advice is down drop
that f***ing bag in the water get rid of them move on not worth your time or your health
we're all adults here we should all be okay with talking about them if you're nervous
about it or you've never really you know looked into STIs or they're still kind of foreign
to you educate yourself as well you should really be on that like you should know that
you should go and get tested that's like the best thing to do every three months just regular
testing doesn't matter if you haven't had sex doesn't matter if you'd f*** three people
in two days go and get tested for your own well-being and for the community's well-being
for society's well-being you know so in my experience I find testing is quite easy in
London UK I found it was very accessible and very easy so testing there was covered by
the NHS which is the National Health Service and as with treatments such as at-home test
kits which I think should be like a universal healthcare thing basically it's just an attainable
little kit that comes to you via the mail you order it online gets dropped off to you
and has all the instructions in it has your little sample kit so you got your swab for
your booty and your mouth got a little pee cup this one in the UK also did like a blood
prick one for HIV and syphilis so you could also get your blood samples done which is
also really helpful it was like an all-in-one stop shop all-in-one shop you just do it do
samples and then you literally just put it in the box seal it take it to the nearest
post box post office it's all paid for as well like the postage drop it in you get like
text message updates or email updates within like three days you've got your results if
it's a positive then you just go into your nearest sexual health clinic which they tell
you which are the closest ones to you and then you get your free treatments done for
whatever you may have and if you're all green then you go and live your best life get out
there and get slutty if you want to and in like London obviously is a lot bigger city
than where I live right now but also I just found that there's abundance of sexual health
clinics especially like queer clinics as well it was much more accommodating to go to them
as well then booking in for a specific STI appointment with your GP I know that here
in Australia there are some STI clinics but they're not as abundant I would say as they
should be and also if you want to go get an STI testing you have to go and book into the
GP and pay for it and then also you have to sit down and if your GP is not someone that
you're like comfortable with or you know well or that you go to regularly you just like
drop into medical centers it can also have like a bit of nervousness or unwillingness
to go I don't know especially if you go to like an old GP probably an old male GP you
know they can just be so fucking I don't know the word to explain it I'm just judgy and
like narrow minded and just like no so you've been having sex have you unprotected sex out
of marriage oh get out you know I mean not all GPs like that but there's some out there
stay away from them okay back on track because I'm rambling a bit so the World Health Organization
estimates that over 1 million new cases of STIs occur every day around the globe so you're
not alone if you've contracted an STI 1 million other people have also done it every single
day so get off your high horse it's nothing special about you but you're not an outlier
if you contract an STI and the most common being chlamydia gonorrhea trichomoniasis
I'm probably not saying that right and syphilis these are all easily treatable with conventional
medicines and the sooner you get tested the better it is because leaving an infection
go uncheck can result in more problematic health conditions down the line so if you
think that you might have contracted an STI if you've got any type of symptoms at all
go and get tested the sooner the better okay okay so where does all this shame around STIs
come from in society well there are multiple factors being culture religion of course family
and trauma the shame sits in our bodies and is carried around like a burden and shame
prevents us from taking control of our sexual health so if you're proactive and practice
safe sex you will greatly lower your chances of contracting an STI but hey we're not perfect
and when sometimes when you're feeling hot and you're feeling heavy and you're in the
moment this can often be bypassed and that may result in you contracting an STI if you
or your partner are unaware that you currently have one because sometimes symptoms can not
show up for two weeks after you are infected you know or sometimes you just may not have
any symptoms at all that's why I say get tested regularly just in case so if this happens
number one don't play the blame game unless I don't guess here unless someone has blatantly
lied to you about having about not having an STI when they knew they had one and they
still continue to have unprotected sex with you that's on them for being a poor sexual
partner and also an asshole okay that's the only reason where you can be like you willingly
had sex with me when you knew you had an STI and you didn't tell me or to get treated low
blow then you can blame them for catching it don't ask them in public but make sure
they know that they're a fucking asshole and they should go get tested and treated immediately
and not do that to anyone else ever again okay back to the main part so it's not your
fault for contracting STI but it is your responsibility to seek treatment and inform your most recent
sexual partners that you have contracted one that may be a little bit awkward especially
if it was a one-night stand or didn't end well but there are anonymous text lines that
you can send messages of a positive result to so you can let the person know that they
have been exposed to an STI and they should go get tested anonymously if you have no idea
who they are you have no way to contact them try your best to you know just try your best
so when it comes to SPI is basically I believe you just got to be an adult about it you're
not a bad person and seeking treatment as soon as possible is the best thing you can
do for yourself and others now in saying this it is easier said than done but healthcare
professionals are there to help you they've seen it all they will be there to support
you as well and I said something about GPS being ourselves but that's it's not true
they are there to help you and they want they took an oath to protect you so they will give
you medical advice and assistance just go just do it oh side note actually the more
already available testing is like the more people will do it I know for a fact that where
I work they have a STI self testing kiosk in one the bathroom so you go in this little
like computer thing you just like grab a sample bag from next next to him and it has like
a code on it or whatever you punch in all your details and it then registers into the
system and then you go and do your samples so your swabs and your pickup it's just for
chlamydia and gonorrhea so it's not like any blood tests or anything like that do your
samples and you drop them in the sample box and then same kind of thing text message lets
you know they've been collected and then you should get your results in like a week or
so fantastic everything they should everybody toilet should have one of these I think it
would be fantastic for the world anyway that's just another one of my little brain things
okay back to shame and STIs so these conversations around STIs bring up generations of programming
and shame but understand that your healthcare providers have seen it all and they are there
not to judge you but to help you so isolating yourself only equals more shame because then
you just go into your shame spiral of like oh my god I contract an STI like how dare
like what the fuck what am I gonna do like all that nonsense don't do that no it's important
to talk about it it's important to bring it to surface if you contract an STI if you feel
okay with it tell your friends be like I'm going to the doctor because I can't ask you
no don't do that but isolating only equals more shame and that's why it's important to
talk about STIs and the stigma around them like I am now because they are normal and
we should normalize that they happen and there's no point in locking yourself away and feeling
like pile of shit because you contracted one I know it might be scary for the first time
and you might get triggered by that whole like oh like yuck I got an STI like how gross
don't think like that that happened I can go and get tested and I can own get treated
and my life will continue on like it always had there's nothing else about it but if you
were consistently contracting STIs I would perhaps recommend changing up your safe sex
routine by making it safe maybe don't sleep with someone who you've gotten an STI from
multiple times and if you're hoeing it up then use condoms or protection all the time
I would say that's just my two cents like you don't have to but you don't want to contract
STIs you want to avoid them sometimes it's unavoidable but the moral of this story is
safe sex will keep you safe abstinence is the only way follow your Christian values
and just don't have sex ever the more we talk about these topics the less dramatic they
can seem resulting in less guilt and better awareness because the more we have these discussions
they cause ripple effects in society so if you're open about talking about STIs you may
inspire someone who was previously afraid to to then talk about them and educate other
people or help other people get tested or give them resources on where to go or what
to do when you contract an STI the next part that I want to talk about is from an article
called Intimina and I thought the information on there was very insightful and quite nice
so I'm going to just like talk about a little bit so being vulnerable creates a space for
deep emotional healing the more often you do this the more comfortable you become and
easier it is to have these conversations even with new sexual partners or one-night stands
another core component to this conversation is the language that we use around STIs so
medically yes you are infected and that can carry weight because that can imply that someone
is sick or diseased or someone to avoid so perhaps try what I've been using throughout
is contracted or just saying that you have an STI don't beat around the bush be direct
be clear own it own clementia in a sense of not letting it have power over you I should
say it's just a virus or a bacteria at the end of the day we live we learn we move on
we become more aware we grow as a society another term thrown around is clean and this
can also imply that if you get a positive test result that the results means that you
are dirty and implying that someone is dirty is to avoid or to not touch them which is
ridiculous given the widespread rate of people who contract STIs globally every single day
so by changing the language you use around sexual health you can be more empathetic and
sensitive to peers friends or even a colleague who may have an STI that you don't know about
be careful and mindful of what you say and how you say it refrain from judgment and instead
make a safe space where it can be openly discussed educate yourself on how to go about getting
treatments and where to get treatments and don't let an STI diagnosis define you thank
you for listening into today's episode as always nature is gay so do not hide your DNA
see you next time.