Lukas Gage Says He Once 'Lived With Fear' About Healthy Sex Practices

Lukas Gage is opening up about healthy sex practices and sharing what he wishes he’d known sooner.

“I think for so long I lived with fear,” Gage, 30, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing his partnership with Gilead’s HealthySexual campaign. “People shove a message down your throat that if you do have sex, you’re gonna get sick. So, I think that for me, I wish I didn’t live in fear for so long about this. I wish that I could just have the knowledge, have the awareness, but not be scared or shameful.”

The HealthySexual campaign is aimed at educating and inspiring people to take action “through healthier sexual behaviors” and encourages the public to be “proactive about protecting your own sexual health — which includes understanding HIV prevention options, like PrEP medications.” (Consult a doctor or visit here for more information.)

Gage — whose memoir, I Wrote This for Attention, came out on October 14 — told Us that he “100 percent” wishes he’d learned about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) years ago. He first became aware of the medication after he moved to Los Angeles as an adult.

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“I grew up not far [away] in San Diego, but the resources and the information [weren’t] available to me,” the White Lotus alum recalled. “So, luckily, I lived in a big city where it was talked about, and it wasn’t so taboo. But I heard about it through word of mouth of people and friends that were taking it and being proactive in their sex life. And I wanted to be careful in mine as well.”

The HealthySexual campaign also features celebrities Antoni Porowski, David Archuleta, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Keiynan Lonsdale.

“I think that we’ve made such progress with the medication and the science behind it, but also having people like me that are open about being sexually active and in their sexuality, and not shameful, not hiding and not feeling like it’s taboo to talk about,” Gage told Us.

“I think as a culture, we stigmatize this thing, and I think we’re taught to be shameful about being honest about our sexual life and our experiences there. I think that we’re kind of even taught [that] early on in school in sex ed — like, it’s not an open conversation,” Gage continued. “There’s also maybe a misconception of taking the medication that alludes to you being reckless, right? And I think it’s actually the complete opposite. It means that you’re being careful and you’re having that awareness that protects you.”

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Throughout his memoir, Gage was open about being “curious” about sex as a kid, recalling formative moments he had throughout his youth and into adulthood.

“Even before I was actively sexual, I was very curious as a kid. And I think that you can see that in the book,” Gage told Us. “There’s a lot of experiences that I have, that I had those moments that I was talking about, of being fearful of not knowing what happens when you have sex, and I was fed misinformation. I think there’s a lot of fun stories in there.”

I Wrote This for Attention is available now wherever books are sold.

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