3 min readWhile sexual health is an important part of overall wellness, talking about it can feel awkward at times. Actor Lukas Gage has learned to navigate it in a way that feels right for him.
The White Lotus and Euphoria star opened up about how he talks about sexual health in the Men’s Health Lab panel, Sexual Health and HIV Prevention: Do I Have Your Attention Now? alongside NYU Langone Health researcher and infectious disease specialist Ofole Mgbako, MD. The panel, hosted by MH Executive Editor Kengo Tsutsumi, explored the importance of speaking openly about sexual health, HIV prevention, authenticity, and what it really means to take care of yourself.
“For me, owning my sexual health is being proactive,” Gage said. “It means taking care of all my preventative options, like getting tested, wearing condoms, and of course, [being] on PrEP. And also, it's just to remind myself that sex should be something that's fun, and something that we enjoy.”
Most people don’t talk about sexual health, even with a healthcare provider.
Mgbako, who teaches first-year medical students, shared that he always asks his students how many of them have been asked by a doctor about their sex life. Out of a group of about 100 students, only about five of them raise their hands, he says.
“I tell them, you want to be the type of doctor that opens that up for your patients, right?” Mgbako says, adding that it’s crucial for healthcare providers and “everyone” to take ownership of that conversation. “Sexual health leads to mental health, physical health, and overall, a really healthy path in life,” he says.
Gage became an “accidental spokesperson” for sexual health.
Several of Gage’s early roles involved sexual characters. As a result, “I accidentally became the spokesperson by the first roles I did was, having sex and having my ass in every show that I've been in,” he said. “I feel fortunate that I was fairly comfortable with it at an early age,” Gage added.
But Gage said he “wasn't informed about so many things” and “filled with shame” about his sexuality when he was younger. As a result, he didn’t ask questions to support his sexual wellbeing.
But when Gage wrote his 2025 memoir, I Wrote This for Attention, he addressed how he got two STIs from a partner when he was in a relationship that he thought was monogamous. “I was so shocked that that was the most coverage I was getting on this book, because so many people were coming forward and saying that they had similar experiences,” he said.
That lead to a partnership with Gilead, which makes and manufacturers several medications for PrEP, which help to lower the risk of getting HIV.
PrEP plays an important role in lowering the risk of HIV.
Mgbako calls PrEP “our most powerful tool to prevent HIV infection.” The medication is taken before sexual intercourse and can prevent HIV up to 99 percent of the time. “We now have oral options, we have injectable options, it's like the scientific advancements in this field are really kind of earth-shattering,” Mgbako said. “My generation really grew up seeing, having some fear of HIV. And then, of course, the generation above me, grew up losing a lot of people in their lives to HIV.”
Mgbako stressed that PrEP doesn’t prevent other sexually transmitted infections. Still, he said that “PrEP is a really powerful tool, and one that I hope the use of it just continues to grow and grow.”
Gage said that he hopes that he can help to “destigmatize” the idea that people shouldn’t talk about their sexuality.
Now, Gage approaches conversations with his partners differently.
In the past, Gage said he “didn't even know where to start with talking about it with my partner,” so he avoided talking about sexual health completely.
“Now, I think it's really attractive to talk about your sexual health and all these uncomfortable topics with your partner,” he said. “Trust and honesty is one of the biggest foundations of a working relationship, so now I lean into the uncomfortableness, I think it's kind of sexy.”
Gage said he also feels more sexually free by taking care of this part of his health. “By being proactive about my sexual health, I can actually have more fun and more freedom in it,” he said.
The 2nd annual Men’s Health Lab was hosted by Hearst Magazines in partnership with NYU Langone Health and presented by Boehringer Ingelheim and Gilead, with special thanks to Ensure Max Protein.
