I've been reading the stories users have sent in about living with herpes, and I've noticed an upswing in people saying that the person who infected them "didn't seem like the type" to have herpes. The notion that certain types of people are more likely to have STDs is an idea that seems to come and go in waves. However, there is no "type" for STDs - unless you want to define a type as a person who engages in risky sexual behaviors. While some groups do have higher STD prevalence rates, it's not because they're a certain "type" of person, at least not in the conventional sense. It's because some individuals in those groups are either more likely to have unprotected sex or to do so with people who are already infected.
When I was in college, I helped with an HIV education campaign that addressed this notion directly. We made signs about the fact that all sorts of people can be HIV infected - sorority girls, preacher's kids, marching band drummers, and the like - and there's no way to tell just by looking. The myth that certain groups of people aren't risky is a dangerous one that we have to get past. STD risk has nothing to do with who you are. The only thing that really matters is what you do.
People who are really concerned about their STD risk need to get screened regularly, talk to their partners about sex, and practice safe sex. That's far more effective than sticking to partners who "don't seem like the type."
Source: http://std.about.com/b/2012/06/15/there-is-no-type.htm
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