Herman Cain Says Trump Doesn't Have 'A Racist Bone In His Body'

Herman Cain recently scoffed at the allegations accusing President Donald Trump of being racist.

“I don’t think Donald Trump has a racist bone in his body. And you can quote me on that,” Cain said in an interview with Yahoo News. “I have known him for many years. I have talked to people who work directly for him. The man is a businessman. How could he be a racist? His daughter married a person whose religious belief is Jewish. Good! He doesn’t go around making statements that are racist in nature. No, he says things where some people out there — especially people who don’t like him — try to spin it as being racist.”

On several occasions, Trump has referred to himself as "the least racist person." However, his statements on Charlottesville, Virginia, his history of running racially-charged attack ads and his recent "sh*thole countries" controversy have his critics unsure whether Trump is as tolerant as Cain claims.

According to Cain, critics need to put aside Trump’s language and personality. He instead urges them to focus on the results of Trump's policies in order to truly measure the success of his first-year in office.

Cain said he would give year one an "A" because Trump rolled back regulations and signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he called “one of the biggest legislative achievements in 30 years.”

When it comes to Trump's campaign rhetoric (including when Trump said the following about Mexican immigrants: "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."), Cain said that he never observed anything at Trump’s campaign events that would indicate he harbors any animus toward minorities.

Herman Cain recently scoffed at the allegations accusing President Donald Trump of being racist.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think Donald Trump has a racist bone in his body. And you can quote me on that,” Cain said in an interview with \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/herman-cain-says-trump-doesnt-racist-bone-body-180726069.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Yahoo News\u003C/a>. “I have known him for many years. I have talked to people who work directly for him. The man is a businessman. How could he be a racist? His daughter married a person whose religious belief is Jewish. Good! He doesn’t go around making statements that are racist in nature. No, he says things where some people out there — especially people who don’t like him — try to spin it as being racist.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>On several occasions, Trump has referred to himself as "the least racist person." However, his statements on \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/donald-trump-charlottesville-winery-both-sides-blame-violence\">Charlottesville\u003C/a>, Virginia, his history of running \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/ava-duvernay-calls-out-trump-for-his-hypocrisy-role-in-the-central-park-five-conviction\">racially-charged attack ads\u003C/a> and his recent \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/trump-reportedly-fussed-about-shthole-countries-like-haiti-and-other-african-nations-for-flocking-to-the-us\">"sh*thole countries" controversy\u003C/a> have his critics unsure whether Trump is as tolerant as Cain claims.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>According to Cain, critics need to put aside Trump’s language and personality. He instead urges them to focus on the results of Trump's policies in order to truly measure the success of his first-year in office.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Cain said he would give year one an "A" because Trump rolled back regulations and signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he called “one of the biggest legislative achievements in 30 years.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>When it comes to Trump's campaign rhetoric (including when Trump said the following about \u003Ca href=\"http://time.com/4473972/donald-trump-mexico-meeting-insult/\">Mexican immigrants\u003C/a>: "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."), Cain said that he never observed anything at Trump’s campaign events that would indicate he harbors any animus toward minorities.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='“When he was campaigning, I spoke at three of his rallies. There were plenty of black people and Hispanic people there trying to help him get elected. I never saw him try to put anybody down. The people who don’t like him are trying to stick him with a racist label, which is not true,” Cain said. At a campaign rally in Atlanta, he vouched for Trump as a \u003Ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/us/politics/behind-herman-cains-humor-a-question-of-seriousness.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">“shucky ducky” kind of candidate.\u003C/a> Trump received \u003Ca href=\"http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">8 percent\u003C/a> of votes by black people in 2016.’ data-reactid=”26″ type=”text”>“When he was campaigning, I spoke at three of his rallies. There were plenty of black people and Hispanic people there trying to help him get elected," Cain said. "I never saw him try to put anybody down. The people who don’t like him are trying to stick him with a racist label, which is not true."\u003C/p>\n",[23,27],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},"News","news",83,{"name":28,"slug":29,"id":30},"Politics","politics",120,[32,36],{"id":33,"name":34,"slug":35,"description":10,"image":10},37278,"Donald trump","donald-trump",{"id":37,"name":38,"slug":39,"description":10,"image":10},31431,"Herman Cain","herman-cain",{"url":41,"thumbnail":41,"credit":42,"title":10,"alt":10,"type":43},"https://res.cloudinary.com/blavity/image/upload/v1518555094/hlftrwf7fqctilz89h1b","Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons","image","2018-02-13T16:18:42-05:00","default",[],false,{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":49,"headScript":50},true,null,"https://storage.googleapis.com/blavitynews/images/fallback.jpg","article","2026-01-13T02:07:47.276Z",{"list":55,"total":181},[56,98,127],{"id":57,"author":58,"authors":65,"title":67,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":68,"body":69,"categories":70,"tags":75,"featuredMedia":88,"publishedAt":93,"updatedAt":94,"type":45,"listicle":95,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":96,"additional":97},72893113,{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":61,"email":62,"username":61,"normalizedUsername":63,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":64},96045,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DSC09602-2-compress.jpg","Tomas Kassahun","[email protected]","tomas-kassahun","2019-09-06T00:00:00+00:00",[66],{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":61,"email":62,"username":61,"normalizedUsername":63,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":64},"Martin University, Predominatinly Black College In Indiana, Closes After 50 Years Due To Financial Struggles","martin-university-closes-after-50-years","\n\u003Cp>A predominantly Black institution in \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/bubba-wallace-first-black-driver-to-win-major-race-indy-oval\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Indianapolis\u003C/a> is closing its doors after serving the community for 50 years. \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/black-history-exhibit-disinvited-by-texas-state-university\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Martin University\u003C/a> closed permanently after the Board of Trustees voted to stop operations due to financial struggles, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.theeduledger.com/institutions/article/15800902/martin-university-to-close-after-nearly-50-years-citing-unsustainable-financial-model\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Edu Ledger\u003C/a> reported. A letter from the board outlined the dire financial struggles that has forced the institution to close its doors.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Without an endowment and given today’s political climate around higher education funding, this financial model is simply not sustainable,” the board stated, according to The Edu Ledger.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The school is recognized as a predominantly Black institution (the only one in Indiana) and a minority-serving institution instead of an HBCU, as it was founded after the deadline for HBCU designation. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-martin-university-has-faced-financial-challenges-for-quite-some-time\">Martin University has faced financial challenges for quite some time\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to The Edu Ledger, Martin University has been relying on grants, government aid and philanthropy because students haven’t been able to afford tuition. That system, however, turned out to be an unsustainable means for the university.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A decline in enrollment, coupled with rising costs and increasing debt, also added to the financial struggles of the school, leading to the closure.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-over-100-colleges-have-closed-in-the-past-10-years\">Over 100 colleges have closed in the past 10 years\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Over 100 colleges across the nation have closed in the past decade due to various reasons. Many of the closures include institutions that have particularly served low-income and minority students for decades.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Two of the most prominent schools that closed in 2024 are Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Lincoln College in Illinois also closed in 2022 after serving the community for 157 years. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In addition to financial challenges, a change in demographics has been attributed as one of the factors leading to the closures of recent years. The shift in demographics is partly caused by declining birth rates, which leads to a decrease in the typical college-age population. According to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5246200/demographic-cliff-fewer-college-students-mean-fewer-graduates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPR\u003C/a>, a significant decline in birth rate has been seen since late 2007 and that’s part of the reason why the data now shows fewer 18-year-old students entering college.\u003C/p>\n",[71],{"name":72,"slug":73,"id":74},"Blavity-U","blavity-u",70685,[76,80,84],{"id":77,"name":78,"slug":79,"description":10,"image":10},74288,"Blavity U Top Stories","blavity-u-top-stories",{"id":81,"name":82,"slug":83,"description":10,"image":10},77174,"Martin University","martin-university",{"id":85,"name":86,"slug":87,"description":10,"image":10},44529,"top stories","top-stories",{"url":89,"thumbnail":90,"credit":91,"title":92,"alt":92,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2187877065.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2187877065-150x79.jpg.webp","Photo: Getty Images","Black woman, student and laptop in library for education, research or studying in school. Girl, computer or reading in university for problem solving, assessment planning or course information on web","2026-01-12T14:33:12-05:00","2026-01-12T14:33:18-05:00",[],"https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MartinUniversityPhoto.jpg.webp",{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":99,"author":100,"authors":107,"title":109,"subTitle":110,"excerpt":10,"slug":111,"body":112,"categories":113,"tags":115,"featuredMedia":117,"publishedAt":123,"updatedAt":124,"type":45,"listicle":125,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":126},72892111,{"id":101,"avatar":102,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":103,"email":104,"username":103,"normalizedUsername":105,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":106},95243,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/16fdff8cddc7bd4702273ce7e1677d1d0021c4b55e83ca690c8b22edc3cbfdf4?s=1024&r=g","Christopher Rhodes","[email protected]","christopher-rhodes","2020-09-14T00:00:00+00:00",[108],{"id":101,"avatar":102,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":103,"email":104,"username":103,"normalizedUsername":105,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":106},"Senate Democrats Push To Block Reparations For Jan. 6 Rioters","The moves seeks to counter GOP support for those who ransacked the Capitol in 2021.","senate-democrates-push-to-block-reparations-for-jan-6-rioters","\n\u003Cp>Five years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill insurrection, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/trump-walker-photo-is-it-real\">President Donald Trump\u003C/a> and the Republican Party have helped those who participated in the attack avoid responsibility. Now, a group of Democratic lawmakers is trying to ensure that the U.S. government does not financially compensate those who conducted the attack.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-after-the-babbitt-settlement-bills-to-prevent-further-jan-6-compensation\">After the Babbitt settlement, bills to prevent further Jan. 6 compensation\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-senate-democrats-seek-to-ban-payouts-to-capitol-rioters/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CBS News\u003C/a> reported that Democratic senators have worked to pass legislation to prevent compensating Jan. 6 rioters. Two pieces of legislation have been proposed. One bill, sponsored by California Sen. Alex Padilla and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, seeks to ban the government from reaching financial settlements with individuals who assaulted police officers. A second bill would prevent the creation of a compensation fund for Jan. 6 participants.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The two bills come in response to actions taken to provide compensation for Jan. 6 rioters. In May, the Justice Department agreed to a \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://blavity.com/ashli-babbitt-rioter-settlement-trump-admin\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$5 million settlement\u003C/a> for the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Jan. 6 rioter who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer as she climbed through a smashed glass panel as part of an angry mob attempting to access a protected area of the Capitol. Despite Officer Michael Byrd being cleared of any wrongdoing by the Justice Department, Trump accused Byrd of “getting away with murder” and supported right-wing reframing of Babbitt as a martyr.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-blocking-a-reparations-fund-for-jan-6-rioters\">Blocking a reparations fund for Jan. 6 rioters\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The settlement with Babbitt’s family establishes a precedent to compensate others who participated in the attack. Attorney Mark McCloskey is among the individuals who’ve promoted financial compensation for those previously tried for Jan. 6 offenses, posting on X, formerly Twitter, “I’m doing everything I can to epidite the establishment of a claims resolution procedure so we can get you back on your feet and get you some real justice.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">To all the J6 political prisoners out there- I'm doing everything I can to epidite the establishment of a claims resolution procedure so we can get you back on your feet and get you some real justice. I won't stop fighting and I will never back down.\u003C/p>— Mark McCloskey (@mccloskeyusa) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/mccloskeyusa/status/1952487470219640853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 4, 2025\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Trump and others have even suggested creating a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/trump-jan-6-rioters-compensation-fund-discussions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">compensation fund\u003C/a> as a form of reparations for former Jan. 6 defendants to pay for their legal bills. When Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, asked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi last year about a Jan. 6 compensation fund, Bondi said she had no involvement in setting one up but would not explicitly rule out supporting the creation of such a fund.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In response to questions from Sen. \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/maziehirono?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@maziehirono\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AGPamBondi\u003C/a> says she has not participated in discussions about setting up a “compensation fund” for former Jan. 6 defendants. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Bondi declined to answer whether she would approve such a fund. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/upkj0IMM0m\">pic.twitter.com/upkj0IMM0m\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Tom Dreisbach (@TomDreisbach) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TomDreisbach/status/1975618560497246246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 7, 2025\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>These moves to compensate Jan. 6 rioters are part of a larger strategy by Trump and his allies to downplay the Jan. 6 attacks and distort the \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/five-years-jan-6-trump-rewriting-narrative-capitol-siege-rcna240115\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reality\u003C/a> of what happened, framing the rioters as victims of an overzealous and weaponized justice system. Upon returning to the White House last year, Trump immediately pardoned or commuted the \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/granting-pardons-and-commutation-of-sentences-for-certain-offenses-relating-to-the-events-at-or-near-the-united-states-capitol-on-january-6-2021/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sentences\u003C/a> of nearly all of the people who had been convicted of crimes relating to their participation in the Jan. 6 attacks. Trump has also seemingly retaliated against \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://blavity.com/fbi-fires-agents-who-kneeled-during-george-floyd-protests-in-2020\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FBI agents\u003C/a> who investigated Jan. 6 rioters, part of his larger set of reprisals against the agency.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Trump has already ensured that his supporters no longer have to face the legal consequences of their attack on the U.S. Capitol five years ago. Now, he is among the right-wing voices seeking to use the federal government to pay the rioters. As the shadow of Jan. 6 continues to cast over U.S. politics, Democrats are working to prevent those responsible for the riot from being compensated or even profiting at the expense of American taxpayers.\u003C/p>\n",[114],{"name":28,"slug":29,"id":30},[116],{"id":85,"name":86,"slug":87,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":118,"thumbnail":119,"credit":120,"title":121,"alt":122,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1230454707.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1230454707-150x100.jpg.webp","Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images","Trump Supporters Hold “Stop The Steal” Rally In DC Amid Ratification Of Presidential Election","WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election.","2026-01-06T13:09:46-05:00","2026-01-07T11:51:14-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":128,"author":129,"authors":140,"title":142,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":143,"body":144,"categories":145,"tags":154,"featuredMedia":172,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":178,"type":45,"listicle":179,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":180},72891838,{"id":130,"avatar":131,"firstName":132,"lastName":133,"displayName":134,"email":135,"username":136,"normalizedUsername":136,"description":10,"twitter":137,"facebook":10,"instagram":138,"registeredAt":139},98966,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WhatsApp-Image-2022-02-07-at-19.31.50-2-compress.jpeg","Kui","Mwai","Kui Mwai","[email protected]","kuimwai","https://twitter.com/kuiwrites_","https://www.instagram.com/kuiwrites_/","2019-11-07T00:00:00+00:00",[141],{"id":130,"avatar":131,"firstName":132,"lastName":133,"displayName":134,"email":135,"username":136,"normalizedUsername":136,"description":10,"twitter":137,"facebook":10,"instagram":138,"registeredAt":139},"Laila Edwards To Make History As First Black Women To Play Ice Hockey For Team USA At Winter Olympics","laila-edwards-first-black-women-ice-hockey-team-usa-winter-olympics","\n\u003Cp>Laila Edwards will make history at the upcoming \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/leslie-jones-defended-simone-biles-during-olympics-people-that-complained-were-sitting-on-their-fat-asses\">Winter Olympics\u003C/a> as the first Black woman to play ice hockey for Team USA.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>On Jan. 2 the 21-year-old college student — who was also the first Black woman to join the U.S. women’s national hockey team, as \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/laila-edwards-makes-history-first-black-woman-play-us-hockey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Blavity\u003C/a> previously reported — was announced as part of Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team roster for Milano Cortina 2026, which will be held in Italy Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards said, per \u003Ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/hilary-knight-set-make-5th-olympics-appearance-us-128845935\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ABC News\u003C/a>. “Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics for sure.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Here’s more on Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team and Edwards’ career.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-gofundme-has-been-started-to-help-edwards-family-travel-to-italy-for-the-olympics\">A GoFundMe has been started to help Edwards’ family travel to Italy for the Olympics \u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Team USA Hockey announced its Winter Olympic rosters on Instagram Jan. 2, including its \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DTAp3R8joUD/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paralympic Sled Hockey\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DTApwqjjiEX/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Men’s Ice Hockey\u003C/a> teams, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.blackenterprise.com/laila-edwards-winter-olympic-ice-hockey-team-usa/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Enterprise\u003C/a> reported.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Edwards was named a part of the Women’s Ice Hockey Team along with Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter, Britta Curl-Salemme, Joy Dunne, Aerin Frankel, Rory Guilday, Caroline Harvey, Taylor Heise, Tessa Janecke, Megan Keller, Ava McNaughton, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Gwyneth Philips, Hayley Scamurra, Kirsten Simms, Lee Stecklein, Haley Winn and Grace Zumwinkle.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DTAp1jBDljH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\"> \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DTAp1jBDljH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003Csvg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\">\u003Cg stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\u003Cg transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\">\u003Cg>\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\">\u003C/path>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/svg>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\u003Cdiv> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/a>\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DTAp1jBDljH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by USA Hockey (@usahockey)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/div>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A \u003Ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/9mya8-help-lailas-family-cheer-her-at-the-olympics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GoFundMe campaign\u003C/a> has been launched to help Edwards’ family travel to Italy to support the ice hockey star at the Olympics.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We want nothing more than to travel to Italy to support her in her Olympic dream, but this isn’t something we can afford on our own,” the GoFundMe page reads. “So many communities have supported Laila throughout her years of hockey, and we are asking for that support once again so we can be there to cheer her on and surround her with the love of family.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>At the time of publication, over $15,000 of the $50,000 goal had been raised.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-edwards-has-made-history-throughout-her-career\">Edwards has made history throughout her career \u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In addition to becoming the first Black woman to join the U.S. women’s national hockey team, Edwards — who first hit the ice when she was just a toddler, \u003Ca href=\"https://thegrio.com/2026/01/04/meet-laila-edwards-the-first-black-woman-to-play-for-team-usas-winter-olympic-ice-hockey-team/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Grio\u003C/a> reported— has made history on several occasions throughout her career. According to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/laila-edwards-first-black-woman-to-play-winter-olympic-ice-hockey-for-team-usa\">Olympics.com\u003C/a>, at 20 years old, she became the youngest American to win the Most Valuable Player at the World Championships in spring 2024. She made history in 2025 when she became the first Black woman to win the IIHF Women’s World Championship.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Edwards is a senior at the University of Wisconsin and balances playing for the school and national women’s hockey teams, The Grio reported.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“At first it was a little bit overwhelming making that history and all the media and things like that,” Edwards told \u003Ca href=\"https://www.essence.com/entertainment/sports/laila-edwards-transforming-hockey-for-black-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Essence\u003C/a> about making Team USA’s Women’s Hockey Team. “But then I was like, ‘This is such a privilege.’ I’m becoming a role model for so many people, and I’m being that someone that I didn’t necessarily have when I was their age.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The 21-year-old also won the 2024 Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year award and was recognized as a 2025 North America Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in sports.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Edwards hopes this is just the beginning of her hockey career. She said she’d like to be an inspiration to young Black girls interested in hockey and show them that a career in the sport is possible.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I want to leave a legacy that I was a great player, but an even better person and an inspiration,” she said. “I want [young Black girls] to see that I was at that level, but also that I succeeded at that level and I was one of the top people at that level because getting there is wonderful. It’s hard to get there, but to be a star there is even greater and even more inspiring.”\u003C/p>\n",[146,150],{"name":147,"slug":148,"id":149},"Culture","culture",118,{"name":151,"slug":152,"id":153},"Sports","sports",93,[155,159,163,167,168],{"id":156,"name":157,"slug":158,"description":10,"image":10},70604,"ice hockey","ice-hockey",{"id":160,"name":161,"slug":162,"description":10,"image":10},69391,"Laila Edwards","laila-edwards",{"id":164,"name":165,"slug":166,"description":10,"image":10},36590,"Team USA","team-usa-2",{"id":85,"name":86,"slug":87,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":169,"name":170,"slug":171,"description":10,"image":10},28208,"Winter Olympics","winter-olympics",{"url":173,"thumbnail":174,"credit":91,"title":175,"alt":176,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/design-2026-01-05T142925.089.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/design-2026-01-05T142925.089-150x84.jpg.webp","design – 2026-01-05T142925.089","Laila Edwards for Team USA","2026-01-05T14:33:28-05:00","2026-01-06T21:27:04-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},250,{"list":183,"total":354},[184,224,271,321,334],{"id":185,"author":186,"authors":195,"title":197,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":198,"body":199,"categories":200,"tags":209,"featuredMedia":214,"publishedAt":220,"updatedAt":221,"type":45,"listicle":222,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":223},72889923,{"id":187,"avatar":188,"firstName":189,"lastName":190,"displayName":191,"email":192,"username":193,"normalizedUsername":193,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":194},100109,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Diana-headshot-10.2022-scaled.jpg","Dr. Diana","Rangaves, PharmD","Dr. Diana Rangaves, PharmD","[email protected]","diana.rangaves","2023-08-09T20:04:58+00:00",[196],{"id":187,"avatar":188,"firstName":189,"lastName":190,"displayName":191,"email":192,"username":193,"normalizedUsername":193,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":194},"Why Handjobs Aren't 100% Risk-Free From STDs","can-you-get-an-std-from-a-handjob","\n\u003Cp>When you want to be safe but still have fun, you might choose a handjob instead of having sex. This feels like a wise choice because you avoid the most significant risks that come with regular intercourse. However, you might start to worry later, wondering if touching genital fluids or someone’s private parts puts you at risk \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/health/can-you-get-a-std-from-a-toilet-seat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">for an STD\u003C/a>. It is normal to ask if you can get sick just from using your hands.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While the risk is very low, it is not zero. Some infections can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, such as the herpes simplex virus. Understanding these facts is essential for \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/blavity-health-launches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">your sexual health\u003C/a> and peace of mind. As explained by the \u003Ca href=\"https://hivrisk.cdc.gov/can-i-get-or-transmit-hiv-from/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CDC\u003C/a>, the risk of catching an STD from a handjob is very low. While touching skin can sometimes spread germs, it is almost impossible to catch serious \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/health/does-hiv-cause-hair-loss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diseases like HIV\u003C/a> or chlamydia this way.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-the-claim-says\">What the claim says\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s a scenario that has sent countless people spiraling into a late-night WebMD hole: you engaged in some manual stimulation – specifically a handjob – and now you’re panicking about your status. The prevailing fear behind this claim is that any contact with bodily fluids or intimate skin-to-skin touch creates a direct highway for transmission. The logic goes that if infected fluids (like semen, pre-cum or vaginal secretions) land on your hands, or if you accidentally touch a visible sore, the bacteria or virus can bypass the skin barrier and infect you.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Because so much sexual health education focuses strictly on penetrative sex, the “gray area” of manual sex is often filled with assumptions rather than facts. This leads many to believe that \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/health/does-urgent-care-do-std-testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">getting an STD\u003C/a> from a handjob is just as likely as getting one from intercourse. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It is entirely natural to feel anxious about these unknowns, especially when we are taught to view all bodily fluids as potential biohazards. However, before panic takes over, it is essential to distinguish between what feels risky and what is medically feasible.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-the-science-actually-says\">What the science actually says\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The skin on your hands is thick and tough, and it does a great job of keeping germs out. Most sexually transmitted diseases need to get inside your body to make you sick. These STDs usually enter through “mucous membranes,” which are the soft, wet parts of your body, like the inside of your mouth, the vagina, the penis, or the rectum, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/is-hiv-transmitted-through-kissing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Healthline.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Because your hands do not have these membranes, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/health/does-chlamydia-go-away\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bacteria like chlamydia\u003C/a> and gonorrhea cannot penetrate the skin of your hands unless you have a fresh, open cut or wound, as stated by the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144014/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Health Organization\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“The chances of getting an STD from a handjob are very low, but they’re not zero,” says \u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/drarthurburnett/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Arthur Burnett\u003C/a>. “The main risk comes if you touch open sores, blisters or bodily fluids and then touch sensitive areas like your mouth, eyes or genitals. The easiest way to stay safe is simple. Always wash your hands thoroughly right after any sexual contact.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-the-misconception-exists\">Why the misconception exists\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This fear of contracting an STD from a handjob usually comes from being nervous and not knowing the real facts. It is natural to feel scared when you do not understand precisely how germs move from one person to another. Lack of education around sexual health leads people to believe that every touch carries the same significant risk, but this isn’t the case.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20371125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mayo Clinic\u003C/a> states that simple skin issues, such as warts, can spread through touch. As a result, people often assume all diseases are passed in this manner. However, touching skin is very different from sharing body fluids, and most germs cannot pass that way.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-real-risks-a-handjob-poses-to-sexual-health\">The real risks a handjob poses to sexual health\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The real danger usually is not the handjob itself, but what you do with your hands afterwards. As noted by the \u003Ca href=\"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24495-germs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cleveland Clinic\u003C/a>, if you touch infected fluids and then immediately touch your own eyes, mouth or genitals, you could move the germs to places where they can enter your body.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This is how infections can spread even without intercourse. Some infections live on the skin surface, not just in your fluids. If you touch a sore or a wart, that specific virus can hop from their skin to yours, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/viral-infections-of-the-skin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Johns Hopkins Medicine. \u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CDC\u003C/a> notes that the best way to protect yourself after manual stimulation is simple: wash your hands with soap and warm water immediately afterwards. This washes away fluids and bacteria before they have a chance to cause problems.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-stds-can-be-passed-by-touch\">What STDs can be passed by touch?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Most diseases that live inside the body do not spread through your hands. However, germs that live right on top of the skin can be passed just by touching. For example, the \u003Ca href=\"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15045-warts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cleveland Clinic\u003C/a> writes that HPV causes warts that spread easily when skin touches skin.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/herpes-hsv1-and-hsv2/genital-herpes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Hopkins Medicine\u003C/a> research shows that herpes is another risk to watch for. If someone has an open sore or blister, touching it can move the virus to your finger or other parts of your body. Syphilis creates sores that usually do not hurt, according to the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/syphilis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351756\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mayo Clinic\u003C/a>. Still, simply touching these open sores can pass the bacteria directly to you.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Finally, scabies and lice are tiny bugs that live on skin and hair. These can easily crawl from one person to another during close contact.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-can-an-std-heal-by-itself\">Can an STD heal by itself?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Most of the time, these diseases do not go away on their own. If you catch a bacterial infection like chlamydia or gonorrhea, you must take medicine to kill the germs, according to the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sexually-transmitted-diseases-stds/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351246\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mayo Clinic\u003C/a>. If you do not treat these infections, they can cause serious harm. Ignoring the problem can lead to long-term damage to your body that is hard to fix, as noted by the \u003Ca href=\"https://asm.org/articles/2022/december/the-dangers-of-undiagnosed-sexually-transmitted-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Society for Microbiology\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/health/hiv-facial-changes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Viruses like HIV\u003C/a> or herpes are different because they stay with you for life. While medicine can help manage the sickness, the virus never truly leaves your body.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“The only exception is HPV,” says \u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/justus-rabach-md-041955156/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Justus Rabach\u003C/a>. “Your body is often strong enough to clear this virus on its own after a few years, but you should still see a doctor to be safe. So, it is possible to have an STI, not be experiencing symptoms and still transmit it to someone else.” \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-calm-std-anxiety\">How to calm STD anxiety\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It is incredibly common to feel a wave of nervousness after being intimate, especially if you are unsure about your partner’s status or just hyper-aware of your health. However, try not to let the panic set in. It is important to remember that medical experts and sexual health organizations consistently classify manual stimulation as a “low to no risk” activity. The skin on your hands acts as a formidable barrier against most infections, meaning the likelihood that you can get an STD from a handjob is extremely slim compared to penetrative sex.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Just keep in mind that timing is everything. Testing the next day usually won’t work because the body needs time to register an infection. Doctors generally recommend waiting about two weeks after the encounter to get tested to avoid a false negative. Booking that appointment is the ultimate \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/health/how-often-should-you-get-tested-for-std\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">form of self-care\u003C/a>: it stops the wondering, gives you control and lets you get back to your life.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bottom-line\">Bottom line\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>When it comes to transmission, the odds are heavily in your favor: getting an STD from a handjob is statistically very unlikely. This is because the skin on your hands is chemically and physically different from the delicate mucous membranes found in the genitals, mouth or anus. Your hands act as a natural, durable shield that bacteria and viruses find incredibly difficult to penetrate. For the vast majority of STDs (including HIV and chlamydia) infected fluid simply touching your unbroken palm poses virtually no threat because the virus cannot pass through that thick layer of skin.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, “low risk” does not mean “magic immunity.” To keep your encounter safe, avoid manual stimulation if you see visible bumps or lesions. Make it a non-negotiable rule to wash your hands thoroughly with warm soap and water immediately after the encounter is over.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How long can an STD survive on hands?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Most STD bacteria die very quickly (within seconds to minutes) once they are on skin and exposed to air because they need a warm, moist environment to survive.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How common is an STD from a BJ?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Oral sex carries a higher risk than handjobs but a lower risk than intercourse; it is common to transmit gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and herpes through oral sex.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What STDs are 100% curable?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Bacterial/parasitic infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis are completely curable with the right antibiotics.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-citations\">Citations\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>CDC. Can I Get or Transmit HIV From…? | HIV Risk Reduction Tool | CDC. HIV Risk Reduction Tool. \u003Ca href=\"https://hivrisk.cdc.gov/can-i-get-or-transmit-hiv-from/\">https://hivrisk.cdc.gov/can-i-get-or-transmit-hiv-from/\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Cafasso J. Is HIV Transmitted Through Kissing? What You Should Know. Healthline. Published July 27, 2018. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/is-hiv-transmitted-through-kissing\">https://www.healthline.com/health/is-hiv-transmitted-through-kissing\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>World Health Organization. Transmission of pathogens by hands. Nih.gov. Published 2009. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144014/\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144014/\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mayo Clinic. Common warts – Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Published 2018. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20371125\">https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20371125\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mayo Clinic. Common warts – Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Published 2018. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20371125\">https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20371125\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Cleveland Clinic. Germs: How To Prevent Their Spread. Cleveland Clinic. Published November 28, 2022. \u003Ca href=\"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24495-germs\">https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24495-germs\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Johns Hopkins Medicine. Viral Infections of the Skin. Hopkinsmedicine.org. Published May 17, 2024. Accessed December 24, 2025. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/viral-infections-of-the-skin\">https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/viral-infections-of-the-skin\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Handwashing. Clean Hands. Published February 16, 2024. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html\">https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Cleveland Clinic. Warts: HPV, Causes, Types, Treatments, Removal, Prevention. Cleveland Clinic. Published April 26, 2020. \u003Ca href=\"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15045-warts\">https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15045-warts\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Johns Hopkins Medicine. Genital Herpes. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Published 2020. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/herpes-hsv1-and-hsv2/genital-herpes\">https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/herpes-hsv1-and-hsv2/genital-herpes\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mayo Clinic. Syphilis – Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic. Published September 10, 2024. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/syphilis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351756\">https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/syphilis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351756\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mayo Clinic. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org. Published September 8, 2023. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sexually-transmitted-diseases-stds/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351246\">https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sexually-transmitted-diseases-stds/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351246\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Bishop C. The dangers of undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections. American Society for Microbiology. Published 2022. \u003Ca href=\"https://asm.org/Articles/2022/December/The-Dangers-of-Undiagnosed-Sexually-Transmitted-In\">https://asm.org/Articles/2022/December/The-Dangers-of-Undiagnosed-Sexually-Transmitted-In\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Sharkey L. PSA: You Can Contract an STI Without Having Penetrative Sex. Healthline. Published September 15, 2021. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex/can-you-get-an-std-without-having-sex\">https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex/can-you-get-an-std-without-having-sex\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",[201,205],{"name":202,"slug":203,"id":204},"Conditions & Care","conditions-care",75878,{"name":206,"slug":207,"id":208},"Health","health",59,[210],{"id":211,"name":212,"slug":213,"description":10,"image":10},76728,"STIs & STDs - Cluster","stis-stds-cluster",{"url":215,"thumbnail":216,"credit":217,"title":218,"alt":219,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/pexels-cottonbro-6475603-scaled.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/pexels-cottonbro-6475603-150x100.jpg.webp","(cottonbro studios/Pexels)","Can You Get An STD From A Handjob?","Black Couple Sitting on Bed and Kissing","2026-01-12T18:18:44-05:00","2026-01-12T18:18:51-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":225,"author":226,"authors":236,"title":238,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":239,"body":240,"categories":241,"tags":250,"featuredMedia":261,"publishedAt":267,"updatedAt":268,"type":45,"listicle":269,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":270},72893354,{"id":227,"avatar":228,"firstName":229,"lastName":230,"displayName":231,"email":232,"username":233,"normalizedUsername":233,"description":234,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":235},98848,"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2da4e4032b5f8358dd429b2129677ea08cd82811258070074b014cd6424c975c?s=1024&r=g","Trey","Mangum","Trey Mangum","[email protected]","tmangum","Trey Mangum is the Managing Editor of Blavity and Shadow & Act. Email him at [email protected]","2015-09-15T00:00:00+00:00",[237],{"id":227,"avatar":228,"firstName":229,"lastName":230,"displayName":231,"email":232,"username":233,"normalizedUsername":233,"description":234,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":235},"Rob Cesternino On 'Traitors' Turret Having No Gamers, Candiace's Conga Line And If He'll Be Season 5's Dorinda","rob-cesternino-traitors-interview-gamers-candiace-conga-line-dorinda","\n\u003Cp>Rob Cesternino is reality TV royalty — a \u003Cem>Survivor\u003C/em> legend and mastermind behind \u003Cem>Rob Has a Podcast\u003C/em> (RHAP). And after a long absence from competition series, he made a much-anticipated return with \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/entertainment/who-are-the-traitors-season-4-premiere-banished-murdered\">Season 4 of \u003Cem>The Traitors\u003C/em>\u003C/a> on \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/entertainment/friday-night-lights-reboot-lands-at-peacock\">Peacock\u003C/a>. Although his time in the castle was cut short, he left a lasting impression.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In an exit interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Cesternino talked about the Conga line chaos, why he suspected Yam Yam Arocho, and whether he’d pull a Dorinda and come back for another round.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-when-you-found-out-that-candiace-was-the-one-who-started-the-conga-line-was-your-immediate-thought-oh-wow-she-might-be-a-traitor-and-what-did-i-just-tell-her-or-were-you-still-kind-of-piecing-things-together-at-that-point\">\u003Cstrong>When you found out that Candiace Dillard Bassett was the one who started the Conga line, was your immediate thought, “Oh wow, she might be a Traitor, and what did I just tell her?” Or were you still kind of piecing things together at that point?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I wish that I could tell you that that was the order that it happened. I was talking to Candiace, and then I realized that she was the one that started the Conga line, and then after that conversation, I thought, “Oh, maybe Candiace is a Traitor.” So, ideally, in the heat of the moment you wish you could figure things out in a better order, but I think I had the thought Candiace might be a Traitor after I had tried to warn her and Mark Ballas about the Conga line.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-going-back-a-little-bit-further-just-the-idea-that-you-were-able-to-clock-the-conga-line-even-immediately-you-pulled-tiffany-mitchell-aside-nothing-has-been-clocked-on-the-traitors-that-quickly-or-maybe-even-that-efficiently-in-the-amount-of-time-that-you-were-given-just-take-me-back-to-the-point-in-time-where-you-were-like-wow-i-think-a-murder-s-happening-right-now-what-was-going-through-your-mind\">\u003Cstrong>Going back a little bit further — just the idea that you were able to clock the Conga line even immediately, you pulled Tiffany [Mitchell] aside. Nothing has been clocked on \u003Cem>The Traitors\u003C/em> that quickly — or maybe even that efficiently — in the amount of time that you were given. Just take me back to the point in time where you were like, “Wow, I think a murder’s happening right now.” What was going through your mind?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so it was a very sad night after Porsha [Williams] went home, and I loved Porsha so much, and I was so disappointed to see her go. And people were in a sad mood for the most part. It was a very late night, and I was surprised that we hadn’t gone to bed yet at \u003Cem>The Traitors\u003C/em> castle.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>So as the night continued, I was starting to think, “Oh, wait, hold on a second. What if this is one of those nights where they do a murder in plain sight?” Because this was right around the time in the season when they would do something like that. So then I thought, “Okay, I’m not going to be doing anything out of the ordinary,” and I wanted to warn Tiffany. That’s right when we hear the Conga line has started. And listen — anytime you’re at a party and a Conga line breaks out, hide. That’s my advice to everybody.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-at-the-point-in-time-when-you-were-eliminated-or-murdered-i-should-say-who-did-you-think-the-traitors-were-and-did-you-really-think-that-there-would-be-a-season-at-least-starting-off-where-there-would-be-no-gamers-as-traitors\">\u003Cstrong>At the point in time when you were eliminated — or murdered, I should say — who did you think the Traitors were? And did you really think that there would be a season, at least starting off, where there would be no gamers as Traitors?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think they would do a season with no gamers in the tour. I thought maybe just one instead of two or three like we’ve seen in other seasons. And there were only five people from the CBS reality shows there.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I thought it was Yam Yam, and I was not trying to get him out. I thought, “Okay, Yam Yam is a Traitor, and I think that that’s a good thing for me because maybe he’ll keep me safe.” So I actually took some comfort in thinking that Yam Yam was a Traitor. So it was a big surprise to me that they ended up going in that direction. I think it’s a good thing for the health of the show and the franchise overall — I just wish they did it on a different season than the one I was on.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-what-did-you-think-about-donna-being-the-secret-traitor-for-the-first-few-episodes-there-were-all-these-theories-everyone-was-like-oh-it-s-rob-i-think-people-thought-it-was-either-you-or-natalie-definitely-people-assumed-a-gamer-had-to-be-the-secret-traitor-what-did-you-think-about-that-reveal\">\u003Cstrong>What did you think about Donna [Kelce] being the Secret Traitor? For the first few episodes, there were all these theories — everyone was like, “Oh, it’s Rob.” I think people thought it was either you or Natalie [Anderson]. Definitely, people assumed a gamer had to be the Secret Traitor. What did you think about that reveal?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so the reveal of Donna as the secret Traitor was certainly a surprise. I kind of thought in the castle that Donna might have just been getting a bad rap, I have to be honest.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>People were saying Donna was a Traitor, but I thought maybe it was more like, “Okay, of course Donna Kelce would be a Traitor — wouldn’t that be the perfect cover story?” It seemed like she wasn’t fitting in, but I thought it was more of a self-fulfilling prophecy. People thought she was a Traitor, so she wasn’t fitting in, and she was just getting a raw deal. Nobody had really given her a chance. So I was much more open to the idea that she wasn’t a traitor.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-and-as-someone-who-s-not-only-important-to-the-canon-of-survivor-but-someone-who-helped-rally-television-competitions-as-a-whole-the-traitors-is-kind-of-the-new-show-on-the-block-and-it-s-gotten-a-ton-of-acclaim-especially-over-the-past-two-seasons-with-you-actually-being-in-the-castle-and-involved-in-the-game-this-season-what-do-you-think-surprised-you-the-most-something-that-someone-just-watching-the-show-wouldn-t-be-able-to-tell\">\u003Cstrong>And as someone who’s not only important to the canon of \u003Cem>Survivor\u003C/em>, but someone who helped rally television competitions as a whole — \u003Cem>The Traitors\u003C/em> is kind of the new show on the block, and it’s gotten a ton of acclaim, especially over the past two seasons. With you actually being in the castle and involved in the game this season, what do you think surprised you the most — something that someone just watching the show wouldn’t be able to tell?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>You have so little to go off of, and it’s so little time, and it’s so fast. You just have to put yourself out there and say something.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Everybody, for the most part, is pretty nice and fun when you’re there — and then you have to go to this roundtable and now all of a sudden write somebody’s name down. I felt like there were fewer clues than you’d expect — less you could actually see when you’re playing the game, as opposed to watching it on television.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-when-you-think-about-the-time-and-mindset-you-were-in-while-leaving-the-castle-was-there-someone-you-thought-was-underrated-either-someone-playing-a-great-faithful-game-or-someone-who-might-ve-been-a-traitor-flying-under-the-radar\">\u003Cstrong>When you think about the time and mindset you were in while leaving the castle, was there someone you thought was underrated? Either someone playing a great faithful game or someone who might’ve been a Traitor flying under the radar?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think all three of the Traitors that were picked by Alan are doing an incredible job. I’ve been even more impressed watching the show and seeing how well they’ve worked together — which you don’t always get in every season.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Among the Faithfuls, maybe somebody you haven’t seen as much of: Monét [X Change]. I just thought she was such an intelligent person with an amazing social game. I felt extremely close to Monet — but I bet there were probably 12 people who felt like they were really close with her. She’s doing a fabulous job.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And Mark Ballas is somebody you didn’t see a lot from in the first episode, but he’s a really sharp guy and really knows the game.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp id=\"h-lastly-a-lot-of-people-are-already-upset-that-after-all-this-time-you-came-back-to-tv-and-we-lost-you-so-quickly-people-are-calling-for-you-to-get-the-dorinda-treatment-next-season-with-the-traitors-if-you-had-a-chance-to-come-back-would-that-be-something-you-d-immediately-want-to-do-or-do-you-feel-like-your-time-came-and-went\">\u003Cstrong>Lastly, a lot of people are already upset that after all this time, you came back to TV, and we lost you so quickly. People are calling for you to get the Dorinda Medley treatment next season. With \u003Cem>The Traitors\u003C/em>, if you had a chance to come back, would that be something you’d immediately want to do, or do you feel like your time came and went?\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I think it was such a cool idea that they brought back Dorinda for Season 3. And look at Dorinda — she’s come back, playing a totally different game, and she’s doing so well. I’m so happy for her.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>If I could somehow follow in that legacy, it would be an honor. I loved getting to go play \u003Cem>The Traitors\u003C/em>. I had the best time. So anytime they want me back, I would love to go.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>The Traitors \u003C/em>airs new episodes Thursdays on Peacock. \u003C/p>\n",[242,246],{"name":243,"slug":244,"id":245},"Entertainment","entertainment",3,{"name":247,"slug":248,"id":249},"Television","television",100,[251,254,257],{"id":252,"name":253,"slug":253,"description":10,"image":10},447,"peacock",{"id":255,"name":256,"slug":256,"description":10,"image":10},43692,"reality",{"id":258,"name":259,"slug":260,"description":10,"image":10},68723,"The Traitors","the-traitors",{"url":262,"thumbnail":263,"credit":264,"title":265,"alt":266,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/NUP_207870_-01281.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/NUP_207870_-01281.jpg.webp","Photo: Euan Cherry/Peacock","The Traitors – Season 4","THE TRAITORS -- \"Let the Cards Fall as they Will\" Episode 401 -- Pictured: Rob Cesternino -- (Photo by: Euan Cherry/PEACOCK)","2026-01-12T16:50:24-05:00","2026-01-12T16:50:40-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":272,"author":273,"authors":283,"title":285,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":286,"body":287,"categories":288,"tags":290,"featuredMedia":311,"publishedAt":317,"updatedAt":318,"type":45,"listicle":319,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":320},72893278,{"id":274,"avatar":275,"firstName":276,"lastName":277,"displayName":278,"email":279,"username":280,"normalizedUsername":281,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":282},99833,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IMG_3995-compress.jpeg","Jahaura","Michelle","Jahaura Michelle","[email protected]","JahauraMichelle","jahauramichelle","2023-04-03T03:43:50+00:00",[284],{"id":274,"avatar":275,"firstName":276,"lastName":277,"displayName":278,"email":279,"username":280,"normalizedUsername":281,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":282},"NYC Faces Largest Nurses’ Strike As Nearly 15K Walk Off The Job At Hospitals","nyc-nurses-strike-hospitals","\n\u003Cp>Nearly 15,000 nurses from several New York City hospitals went on \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/entertainment/tv-and-film-writers-go-on-strike-for-first-time-in-15-years-after-negotiations-with-hollywood-studios-fail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strike\u003C/a> Monday morning in response to a contract negotiation that concluded without a deal.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-nurses-strike-in-response-to-contract-negotiations\">Nurses strike in response to contract negotiations\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The nurses’ strike is the largest in New York City’s history. Most union members authorized the walkout last month, \u003Ca href=\"https://abc7ny.com/post/thousands-union-nurses-nyc-hospitals-go-strike/18390311/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ABC 7 NY\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/new-york-city-nurse-strike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Guardian\u003C/a> reported.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The hospital locations affected by the strike include Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Their contracts expired Dec. 31. During negotiations, the union sought increased staffing to improve patient care, fully funded benefits and stronger protections in the workplace against violence for its members, per ABC 7 NY.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"72893375\" src=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919303.jpg\" alt=\"Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios.\" class=\"wp-image-72893375\" srcset=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919303.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919303-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919303-150x100.jpg.webp 150w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919303-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"72893374\" src=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919231.jpg\" alt=\"Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-72893374\" srcset=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919231.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919231-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919231-150x100.jpg.webp 150w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919231-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"72893373\" src=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919189.jpg\" alt=\"Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-72893373\" srcset=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919189.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919189-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919189-150x100.jpg.webp 150w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919189-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-id=\"72893372\" src=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919298.jpg\" alt=\"Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-72893372\" srcset=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919298.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919298-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919298-150x100.jpg.webp 150w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919298-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"72893371\" src=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255918969.jpg\" alt=\"Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-72893371\" srcset=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255918969.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255918969-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255918969-150x100.jpg.webp 150w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255918969-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"72893370\" src=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919205.jpg\" alt=\"Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-72893370\" srcset=\"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919205.jpg.webp 1024w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919205-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919205-150x100.jpg.webp 150w, https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919205-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images\u003C/figcaption>\u003C/figure>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-too-many-nurses-can-t-make-ends-meet\">‘Too many nurses can’t make ends meet’\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of the protest, calling on hospital administrators to reach a last-minute agreement to prevent the walkout. Per The Guardian, she emphasized that the strike “could jeopardize the lives of thousands of New Yorkers and patients.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I’m strongly encouraging everyone to stay at the table, both sides, management and the nurses, until this is resolved,” Hochul said.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced support for the nurses, highlighting the gap between administrators’ benefits and nurses’ working conditions.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“There is no shortage of wealth in the health care industry,” he said, per ABC 7 NY. “The CEO of Montefiore made more than $16 million last year. The CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian made $26 million. But too many nurses can’t make ends meet.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>He said the nurses are not asking for an extensive list of demands, but “pensions to be safeguarded, to be protected in their own workplace, and to receive the pay and health benefits they deserve.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-some-hospitals-have-hired-temporary-nurses-ahead-of-the-strike\">Some hospitals have hired temporary nurses ahead of the strike\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Sophie Boland, a pediatric intensive care nurse in the NewYork-Presbyterian system, spoke out about the medical center’s staffing issues and the inroads they have made in recent years.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“My hospital tries to cut corners on staffing every day, and then they try to fight historic gains we made three years ago,” she said in a statement obtained by \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/11/new-york-city-nurses-set-to-strike.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNBC\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The strike echoes the 2023 labor dispute, when the same private, nonprofit hospitals said they had made significant staffing improvements. However, they stated that the nurses’ current demands are too expensive, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nyc-nurses-negotiations-strike-threat-hospitals-f6b8598107039b1d6ceade0155e1ac36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Associated Press\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In response to the strike, Mount Sinai has brought in more than 1,000 temporary nurses and has run strike-preparation drills at its main 1,100-bed hospital and two affiliates with around 500 beds each, Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/women/hospitals-offer-more-inclusive-hair-care-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York-Presbyterian\u003C/a> said it plans to hire temporary nurses but that if the strike happens, some patients might have to move to new rooms or another facility.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Montefiore has not said whether it has hired temporary nurses, but some staff, including intensive care nurse Michelle Gonzalez, said the hospital has fallen short on promises, such as making “all reasonable efforts” to end the practice of keeping emergency room patients in hallways.\u003C/p>\n",[289],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[291,295,299,303,307],{"id":292,"name":293,"slug":294,"description":10,"image":10},77183,"contract negotiations","contract-negotiations",{"id":296,"name":297,"slug":298,"description":10,"image":10},77184,"Gov. Kathy hochul","gov-kathy-hochul",{"id":300,"name":301,"slug":302,"description":10,"image":10},77185,"Mayor Zohran Mamdani","mayor-zohran-mamdani",{"id":304,"name":305,"slug":306,"description":10,"image":10},6857,"new york city hospitals","new-york-city-hospitals",{"id":308,"name":309,"slug":310,"description":10,"image":10},77182,"nurse strike","nurse-strike",{"url":312,"thumbnail":313,"credit":314,"title":315,"alt":316,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919214.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255919214-150x100.jpg.webp","Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images","15,000 Nurses From Large Hospitals Go On Strike In New York City","NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 12: Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios.","2026-01-12T16:18:44-05:00","2026-01-12T16:22:34-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":57,"author":322,"authors":323,"title":67,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":68,"body":69,"categories":325,"tags":327,"featuredMedia":331,"publishedAt":93,"updatedAt":94,"type":45,"listicle":332,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":96,"additional":333},{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":61,"email":62,"username":61,"normalizedUsername":63,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":64},[324],{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":61,"email":62,"username":61,"normalizedUsername":63,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":64},[326],{"name":72,"slug":73,"id":74},[328,329,330],{"id":77,"name":78,"slug":79,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":81,"name":82,"slug":83,"description":10,"image":10},{"id":85,"name":86,"slug":87,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":89,"thumbnail":90,"credit":91,"title":92,"alt":92,"type":43},[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":335,"author":336,"authors":337,"title":339,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":340,"body":341,"categories":342,"tags":344,"featuredMedia":345,"publishedAt":350,"updatedAt":351,"type":45,"listicle":352,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":353},72893253,{"id":274,"avatar":275,"firstName":276,"lastName":277,"displayName":278,"email":279,"username":280,"normalizedUsername":281,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":282},[338],{"id":274,"avatar":275,"firstName":276,"lastName":277,"displayName":278,"email":279,"username":280,"normalizedUsername":281,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":282},"First Autistic Barbie Doll Revealed By Mattel: 'Every Child Deserves To See Themselves'","autistic-barbie-doll-released","\n\u003Cp>Popular toymaker \u003Ca href=\"https://blavityinc.com/what-black-barbie-teaches-us-about-inclusive-marketing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mattel Inc\u003C/a>. is expanding its push for inclusive play with the launch of its first autistic Barbie. On Sunday, the company added the doll to its Fashionistas line, which features models with a range of hair textures, skin tones, body types, medical conditions and disabilities.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mattel-partnered-with-the-autistic-self-advocacy-network\">Mattel partnered with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The autistic doll had been in development for more than 18 months in partnership with Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a grassroots nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights and representation of people with autism. Mattel created the Barbie doll to reflect how autistic people may experience, process and communicate the world around them, according to a company \u003Ca href=\"https://corporate.mattel.com/news/barbie-introduces-the-first-autistic-barbie-doll-championing-representation-for-children-through-play\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">news release\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mattel and ASAN worked closely to create an autistic Barbie designed to reflect some of the everyday experiences, clothing choices, body types and facial characteristics seen among some people on the spectrum.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work,” Jamie Cygielman, global head of dolls at Mattel, stated in a news release. “The doll, designed with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, helps to expand what inclusion looks like in the toy aisle and beyond because every child deserves to see themselves in Barbie.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-specific-features-of-the-autistic-barbie\">What are the specific features of the autistic Barbie?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Those physical traits include articulated elbows and wrists that allow for hand movements such as “stimming and hand flapping,” which some people on the autism spectrum use to “process sensory input or express excitement,” per the news release. The doll also features a slightly averted eye gaze, which reflects how some autistic people avoid direct eye contact, while its accessories include a pink finger-clip fidget spinner, noise-canceling headphones and a tablet.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For the clothing style, the doll wears a loose-fitting purple pinstripe A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt, which provides less fabric-to-skin contact, according to the news release. The makers also added flat, purple shoes to complete the outfit, which provide stability and ease of movement.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We’re honored to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud,” Colin Killick, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, stated in a news release.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-autistic-barbie-joins-other-models-in-mattel-s-fashionistas-collection\">The autistic Barbie joins other models in Mattel’s Fashionistas collection\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The new autistic Barbie joins the Down syndrome doll, introduced in 2023, along with others like the Barbie with Type I diabetes, a Barbie and a Ken with a prosthetic leg, and a Barbie with hearing aids. The Fashionistas line also features tall, petite and curvy body types as well as numerous hair types and skin colors, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/mattel-adds-autistic-barbie-doll-line-devoted-showcasing-129122464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ABC News\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/type-1-diabetes-barbie-doll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Blavity\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The doll is now available at Mattel’s online shop and at major retailers. Meanwhile, Walmart confirmed that it will start carrying the doll in March, per \u003Ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/wireStory/mattel-adds-autistic-barbie-doll-line-devoted-showcasing-129122464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ABC News\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>To mark the launch, Barbie will donate over 1,000 autistic dolls to pediatric hospitals, including Children’s National, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Rady Children’s Hospital, in an aim to bring joy, comfort and representation to children with autism.\u003C/p>\n",[343],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[],{"url":346,"thumbnail":347,"credit":348,"title":349,"alt":10,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BAR_FNS_2026_S26Merch_KeyArt_Horizontal_RGB-1.jpg.webp","https://cdn.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BAR_FNS_2026_S26Merch_KeyArt_Horizontal_RGB-1-150x78.jpg.webp","Photo: Mattel Inc. ","BAR_FNS_2026_S26Merch_KeyArt_Horizontal_RGB (1)","2026-01-12T14:25:54-05:00","2026-01-12T14:26:02-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},75570,["Reactive",356],{},["Set"],["ShallowReactive",359],{"page-herman-cain-says-trump-doesnt-have-a-racist-bone-in-his-body":50,"L5mKWLzO22":50,"7VUhfdt1ev":50},"/herman-cain-says-trump-doesnt-have-a-racist-bone-in-his-body",["Reactive",362],{}]