Sexual Health Roundup: April 2025 From Federal Cuts to Testing Breakthroughs
I write this update while listening to Senator Cory Booker’s inspiring speech on the floor. At this moment, he just surpassed hour 20 with no signs of stopping.
I went to bed Monday night to the sound of thunder and rain hitting my window, unaware of Senator Booker’s plan. By morning, I learned he was on hour 13.
As I left for the grocery store, I saw he was approaching hour 17. That’s when I started crying—not out of fear, but from being seen, heard, and finding hope. Hope I hadn’t felt since the Harris campaign.
The day after learning that Trump won, I found myself enraged. I rage cleaned all of the cars. I didn’t want to talk to anyone; all I wanted to do was clean and cry. As if cleansing dirt off vehicles would somehow remove the orange stain from America.
It’s been so hard to maintain hope, and I know many of you feel the same—whether you’re in the U.S. or are reading from across the globe. The world is watching, the tension is palpable, as is the fear. Every news headline seems to bring the inevitable. Another line from Project 2025, another demeaning comment from this administration, another sigh of “I told you so.”
Before sharing the latest sexual health news you need to know, I think it’s important to start with a reminder of the power of hope. Senator Booker’s actions might seem insignificant to some, but my timeline is full of people like me—teary eyed and desperate for a sign, a symbol that we’re seen, and that someone is standing up and doing something—for you, for me, for us.
I know it’s hard to have hope these days. But today my heart is full, and I want to share that feeling and its continued impact. Because it’s moments like these where we see the power of one person. One domino to initiate a moment of hope, a movement. It’s a reminder that one person can make a difference.
There are people who care about you. Who see you. Who want to move forward and do better, even if we’re not there yet.
While most of the news I have to share is challenging, it’s an important reminder that there are others who share Senator Booker’s resolve—experts in their fields who deeply care about the work they do and the populations they serve.
You are the reason I continue to show up on my darkest days, in some of this country’s darkest days. Thank you for consistently challenging me to do better.
“The Power of the People is greater than the People in Power.”
More Layoffs at Federal Health Agencies
Unfortunately, it’s not an April Fools’ joke that 10,000 federal employees under the Department of Health and Human Services were laid off on April 1st. As someone who grew up in the DMV and is the daughter of federal workers, this is deeply personal, too.
Agencies impacted include the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC was “gutted,” according to a Wired article. While there were numerous functions targeted, many of the cuts include direct cuts to sexual health and STI reduction and prevention efforts.
For states that rely heavily on federal funding for public health initiatives, there will likely be increases in HIV and other STI diagnoses. Combined with already poor sex education in rural states and areas, it’s a recipe for unnecessary disaster and devastation. Not just for an increase in STIs, but for the mental health impact, too.
Funding Cuts to Planned Parenthood
It will not come as a surprise to those well-versed in Project 2025 that cuts are finally making their way to Planned Parenthood. While Planned Parenthood is widely known for its association with abortion services, it does SO much more—from STI testing and treatment to birth control.
The Trump administration is withholding nearly $35 million in federal Title X funds, impacting Planned Parenthood affiliates and other sexual health providers.
The cuts threaten access to birth control, STI testing, and cancer screenings for low-income patients, with Planned Parenthood leaders warning of severe consequences for public health.
HHS claims Planned Parenthood's commitments to Black communities and healthcare access for undocumented immigrants violate federal guidelines, using these as justification for funding cuts. Planned Parenthood has ten days to provide evidence that it will comply with Trump’s orders related to immigration.
Health experts warn these funding restrictions could be even more harmful than Trump’s first-term Title X changes, which previously led to massive service losses and clinic withdrawals from the program.
The Vibes are Bad in Texas
Texas Republicans have filed two bills targeting personal pleasure devices:
SB 3003 by Sen. Angela Paxton (wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton) would require online retailers to verify customers are at least 18 years old before selling sex toys.
HB 1549, introduced by Rep. Hillary Hickman, would restrict the sale of "obscene devices" to only "sexually oriented businesses" (adult bookstores, video stores, sex shops) - preventing mainstream retailers like Walmart, Target, and CVS from selling these products.
“Obscene devices” is defined as “a device including a dildo or artificial vagina, designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs.”
Violations could result in fines up to $5,000, with businesses selling to minors facing Class A misdemeanor charges.
FDA Authorizes First At-Home PCR Test for STIs
In a significant advancement for sexual health testing, the FDA has granted marketing authorization to Visby Medical's at-home PCR test for three common STIs:
The Visby Medical Women's Sexual Health Test is the first fully at-home PCR diagnostic for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis that can be purchased without a prescription.
Unlike other home-based STI tests that require mailing samples to a lab and waiting days for results, the Visby test provides results in approximately 30 minutes.
The single-use test includes a collection kit and powered testing device that communicates securely with a companion mobile app, which guides users through the testing process and interpretation of results.
Clinical studies demonstrated impressive accuracy: the test correctly identified 97-100% of positive cases and 98-99% of negative cases across the three infections.
This authorization follows last year's approval of the First To Know at-home syphilis test, suggesting a growing trend toward accessible home-based sexual health diagnostics.
As we navigate this complex sexual health landscape—where federal cuts threaten public health infrastructure while innovations like at-home STI testing emerge—I'm reminded of Senator Booker's endurance on that Senate floor.
It’s easy to focus solely on the headlines that evoke a visceral response in us—the health agency layoffs, the funding restrictions, the continued legislative attacks on bodily autonomy and pleasure. But it’s important to note the present moment.
When despair threatens to overwhelm you—as it sometimes does me—remember that hope isn't found only in grand victories, but in persistent resistance. In researchers developing new technologies despite funding cuts. In state legislators crafting protective policies despite federal rollbacks. In healthcare providers continuing to serve communities despite mounting obstacles.
This is how we move forward—together, one step at a time, supporting each other and the experts fighting on our behalf. Your engagement matters. Your voice matters. Your health matters.
I'll continue bringing you these updates not to discourage, but to inform and empower. Because knowledge, even when difficult to hear, is our most powerful tool for change.
“This is not right or left, it is right or wrong. This is not a partisan moment, it is a moral moment. Where do you stand? It is time for Good Trouble.”