Amplify Issues - Sex

Think Before You Leap

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:39:00 -0500

I currently have an internship at local highschool in North Carolina with a teen prevention program that aims to give students to skills to make good decisions and become peer educators (like me!) in their communities and to students in the local middle schools.

These are all kids in 10-12 grade, so when we talk about sex I get all kinds of questions and I am grateful to be able to give them medically accurate information. (I hear some crazy stuff) However, today the topic of homosexuality came up.

One student, asked me "Miss. Amara, if a guy performs oral sex on a guy because he just wants to try it... doesn't that make him gay?" Before I could answer, she continued "And if a girl does it to another girl, she is just experimenting or is she bi (bisexual)?" I smiled. Everyone was listening intentally, closer then they had all class period. I told them that no one can tell anyone else what their sexual orientation is. Only YOU can make that decision, it is not up to anyone but themselves. If they want to experiment that's fine (as long as they protecting themselves) but no one can make that decision for them but them. I encouraged them to be careful about how they identify other people because again that isn't their decision and as peer educators you have to encourage others to educate themselves.

I may have gotten a little radical, had a small flashback to Creating Change. By saying "You realize that these identities that you speak of such as performing a certain behavior makes you a certain way, someone else created those and they (whoever they are) do the same to people based on their race and class. So remember that before you tell someone who THEY are. Don't play a part in the same oppression that oppresses you.

Love.

Target Card Calls Pregnant Girls Whores

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:20:00 -0500

At a Target store in California, a shopper browsing the greeting card aisle was intrigued by a card that read, “Heard you’re pregnant,” but was shocked when inside the card all it said was, “Whore.”

In the handful of articles I found on this story, I couldn’t believe that the consensus was that either the card was funny or that it didn’t matter and anyone who was offended should chill out and get a sense of humor. Really? Shaming and bullying young, sexually active girls and young women about an unplanned pregnancy is funny? It’s no big deal that a girl was called a whore? Do you think she deserves it because she dared to make a choice of having sex without your approval?

Because let’s be clear here: this is targeting young, unmarried women and girls. Who would even think to call a married woman a whore for getting pregnant? Who assumes that a married woman getting pregnant is automatically a bad thing that she should be called names for? And who would call an older, single woman a whore for getting pregnant? Married women and older, single women are socially allowed to have sex. The fact that they have sexual desires and act upon those desires is understood and accepted. The same respect for female sexuality is unfortunately not nearly as common for young women.

When a young woman becomes pregnant, it’s as if she has done something horribly wrong. Calling her a whore signifies the stereotypes that she has slept with several men (which is also seen as something horribly wrong for a young woman) and that she must have low self-esteem because it is presumed that she lets men use her (which, though it hardly stops anyone from slinging this insult, also unfairly makes men out to be animals who only want instant-gratification sex and then discard the girl without further thought).

Calling a girl a whore for the fact that she had sex and accidentally got pregnant devalues the choice that girl made to have sex and devalues her ability to make a positive sexual decision. When someone is called a whore, they are being told that the way they have chosen to express and practice their sexuality is wrong. Teenage sexuality is not inherently wrong. But when we have a culture that believes that it is, then the girls who get outed for having sex by becoming pregnant face much harsher torment and ridicule than all the other sexually active girls. They somehow get more blame and are more publicly shunned.
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Lone Star Update: Sex Ed in Texas

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:44:00 -0500

Garrett Mize is the Youth Advocacy Coordinator at the Texas Freedom Network and heads up the Texas Student Leadership Council, a part of Advocates for Youth's Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative.

In just the past few months, comprehensive sex ed has made huge strides in Texas. With the announcement of Texas Freedom Network’s latest report, our Houston Leadership Development Institute and World AIDS Day there is plenty of good news to go around.

Texas Freedom Network Education Fund Report

TFNEF’s latest report on sex ed in Texas is much different than our original 2009 report Just Say Don’t Know. In the first report, we asked each public school district in Texas to tell us what type of sex ed they taught. Of the 1,031 independent school districts in Texas, 990 responded. We found that 94 percent of school districts taught abstinence-only, 3.6 percent taught abstinence-plus and 2.3 percent taught nothing at all. The numbers were startling to say the least.

Our newest report, Sex Education in Texas Public Schools: Progress in the Lone Star State, found that abstinence-only is now taught in 74.6 percent of school districts, and abstinence-plus is taught in 25.4 percent of school districts. This major improvement in the quality of sex ed taught in Texas is thanks in large part to grassroots activists who have served on a local School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and to organizations like the Texas Freedom Network and Advocates for Youth. While abstinence-only remains the clear majority, it is losing its grip in Texas. The latest report’s findings were featured in The Dallas Morning News.

University of Houston Leadership Development Institute

Recently, the Texas Freedom Network Student Chapter at UH hosted its first-ever Leadership Development Institute. This grassroots training focused on civic engagement and skills to organize students on campus to support comprehensive sex ed in a non-partisan manner during the election cycle. With 50 people in attendance, this training was a popular Saturday event.

James Lee, president of the TFN student chapter at UH, organized the event and introduced the presenters, which included Dr. Susan Tortolero, director of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center; Meryl Cohen, vice president of Education at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast; Resha Thomas, campaign coordinator for the Texas Organizing Project; and Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network.

I’m expecting a lot of great work to come out of this student chapter next semester!

World AIDS Day 2011

Despite the fact that it was finals week, our youth activists managed to put on great events to highlight World AIDS Day on their campuses. In particular, Mackenzie Massey, president of the TFN student chapter at UT, organized the entire World AIDS Day fair at her school. She created a coalition of 13 student organizations, led by the TFN student chapter, to put on this day of action. The coalition had free HIV testing, a T-shirt awareness campaign with 250 t-shirts, an expert discussion panel, a student organization tabling fair, a banner signing campaign and a petition signing effort to support comprehensive sex ed in Texas. Mackenzie worked closely with Ana Laura Rivera, another fantastic Advocates for Youth activist, to put this event on.

Their efforts were featured in numerous media outlets, including Spanish-language Univision, The Daily Texan, Austin NPR affiliate KUT 90.5 FM and other student news sources. Other youth activists also took action by tabling on their campuses to mark World AIDS Day, including Spencer Allers at UT San Antonio and April Flores at UT Brownsville.

There has been a lot of progress in Texas this past semester, but we still have a lot of work to do. We have much to look forward to in 2012!

BCSSH Sex Files #16: The Busy Woman's Guide to Health Care Reform

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:44:00 -0500

Boston College Students for Sexual Health is an unofficial student organization that was formed in response to the lack of sexual health education and resources at Boston College. Among other activities, we blog regularly on Her Campus BC in an effort to reach out to the student body and promote thinking about sex-related issues. This particular entry provides a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act, addresses possible changes to the act, and applies these situations to the average woman, specifically at Boston College. Please note that this blog entry was originally posted on Her Campus BC.

Free birth control coverage? Not so fast...

Regardless of your political interest or stance, it’s becoming increasingly hard to ignore the splash caused by the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress this past March. The much debated act has finally gotten the ball rolling on health care reform in the US and has shone a crucial light on the current state of women’s health, which has been in desperate need of some TLC.

Overall, the Affordable Care Act seeks to reform health insurance companies in favor of patients. It would ban lifetime limits that affect people with long-term or chronic illnesses, cover young adults on their parent’s plan until the age of 26 (this provision has recently been put into place), and prohibit discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions – basically, get rid of all the jerky things that insurance companies have been able to get away with. Yeah, we’ve had enough of that, too. The more controversial aspects of the plan are included under the umbrella of women’s preventative care – like covering contraception without co-pays, which we’re pretty excited about. Since all of this legal jargon can be tricky even for the Pre-Law students among us, we’ve broken down the things we think every woman should know about the Affordable Care Act, and possible threats to it.

1. The Facts
The current plan regarding women's preventative care would:

Allow for annual “Well-Woman” visits, covering all age and developmentally appropriate
services
Provide testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Gestational Diabetes
Provide testing and counseling for HIV and other STIs
Provide screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence
Cover all FDA approved forms of contraception, sterilization procedures, and reproductive education and counseling without co-pay, deductible, or other charges

2. Supporting the Bill
Supporters of the new preventative care measures base their reinforcement of the bill on the following facts:

A 2001 study found that half of all pregnancies in the US were unintended. The largest roadblock to contraception for many women is cost (averaging $10 to $50 per month, which isn’t exactly pocket change). Free access to birth control would allow for family planning and place greater emphasis on healthy families.
The plan would support the status quo on abortion policy (no federal money will be used to fund abortions and health plans cannot be required to fund abortion). All contraceptive measures covered will prevent pregnancy, but will not terminate an existing pregnancy.
Allowing personal beliefs to determine what will or will not be covered by health plans undermines the purpose of health insurance. According to Adam Sconfield of the Guttmacher Institute, “You would have people questioning treating lung cancer for smokers or accident victims of a motorcycle wreck, or objecting to people having too many kids." Well said.

3. The Opposition
Of course, a change as momentous as this is likely to draw a few adversaries. This is especially pronounced in cases where religious institutions provide health insurance to their employees. Major arguments against contraceptive coverage include:

Contraception should not be included under preventative care because pregnancy is not a disease.
People against abortion shouldn’t be asked to subsidize methods they believe can cause abortions (which, they claim, happens through their insurance premiums).
More contraception doesn’t necessarily lead to fewer unplanned pregnancies and abortions.

The plan currently offers a narrow religious refusal clause (often called a conscience clause), which allows certain religious institutions to exclude contraception from the insurance plans that they offer to their employees. This clause would apply to an institution that “has inculcation of religious values as its purpose” and primarily serves and employs people that share its religious beliefs. Basically, it exempts institutions such as churches, but not religiously affiliated hospitals, schools, or universities (such as, ahem, Boston College). The Obama administration is currently under pressure to add a wider refusal clause that would exempt these institutions from having to provide this benefit to their employees and students.

4. So what would change at BC, exactly?
Well, not as much as we may hope, but it’s a start. Massachusetts state law already requires all MA medical insurance plans (including student plans) to offer prescription drug coverage, including contraceptive drug consultations and prescriptions. For the average BC woman, this means that contraception would at least be partially covered under BC’s health insurance either way and the student is charged a co-pay. But the exciting part would come in at the register, when we can put our already-scarce college student funds towards more worthwhile means than co-pays on birth control. These changes would be even more drastic to women in states without state laws that mandate these provisions – say, our friends over at Notre Dame. While BC can still refuse to prescribe or distribute birth control pills in Health Services (boo), their student insurance plans would have to completely cover the entire cost of contraception if a student seeks these services elsewhere (yay!).

But don’t put your wallet away just yet. If the opposition’s refusal clause succeeds, plans like Boston College insurance would no longer be obligated to cover the full cost of contraception. To fight the pending broader refusal clause, and to stand up for the rights the federal government is announcing that all women should have, sign Amplify Your Voice’s “Obama, Don’t Cave” Petition.

Regardless of your personal stance on the issue, we applaud the Obama administration for striving towards loophole-free protection of women’s health, and for finally taking a firm federal stance on women’s reproductive rights. Our health (...and our rights...and our wallets) is thankful.

Peace, love, and lube
BC Students for Sexual Health

My Coming Out Story to My Mom and Dad

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:32:00 -0500

There’s no question about it – I knew I liked women (as well as men) at an early age. At first, I think I only focused on boys because that’s what was expected of me – since, you know, all the childhood games were focused on hetero-normative ideals from the song Billy and Susie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G to playing the make believe version of “house” with Barbie and Ken. However, it all changed one day, when I realized I was infatuated with my mother’s friend to the point that I had wished I was older to be with her: hold hands, kiss, caress and even have sex with her (even though I had the slightest idea what girl on girl sex would look like other than being butt naked, kissing and admiring each other’s bodies…). I knew from this day forward that being physically and sexually attracted to women would be part of my focus for potential partners in the future because I had no control over who I became attracted to.

Fast forward about 8 years later, I was in my first relationship with who happened to be a girl. However, very few people knew we were together because either of us was out at the time. I can literally name just two people who knew about our relationship, reason being that it wasn’t safe to come out at the time. But during the whole time of our relationship I felt horrible because I was being fake and not being true to myself and other people (although I do have to admit it was fun at first because of all the running around and the making up of stories and excuses just to find quality alone time… it was like a fun hunting game but that quickly became old).

After that relationship ended, once in college, I began coming out only in safe spaces within the LGBTQ community – I never thought I would ever come out in my Latino family because my family is extremely homophobic.

However, I finally did it!

At first I came out to my two brothers my freshman year of college… My younger brother, Danny, took it better than I expected considering his strong Christian affiliation – he was ok with it as long as he wasn’t immediately involved in that part of my life. My older brother, Cristian was surprisingly supportive. “It’s cool my ex-girlfriend is bisexual and I didn’t care so you are cool with me too.” Telling my brothers took a huge weight off my shoulders, next stop – mom and dad. I ended up waiting 4 years later to come out to my parents because I finally just needed to get it off my chest.

It happened during a family meeting a few weeks ago as we were wrapping it up in the kitchen. (I got to courage to do it since my older brother was with us – he was in town visiting from California – I knew if anything were do go down I had him for support). “Mom, Dad I have something to say…” I paused and looked at my brothers… “AHHHHHHHHH AHHHHH HERE IT COMES!!!” yelled Danny, jumping up off his seat and shaking the chair up and down. Cristian was trying not to laugh but was confused what was going on…

“Mom, Dad, I like women too…” My parents’ reactions? Dad: “Pass me the tequila.” Mom: “How? I couldn’t tell?!?” (Note: They kinda took it better than I expected.)

After that, the room went silent. My dad then stopped my mom from saying something outlandish and ignorant …. “Think before you say anything….”. “I love you regardless but …” My older brother stopped her, “its ok to be gay mom… it doesn’t matter. My ex was bisexual…. It’s whatever.”

Since then, my sexual orientation hasn’t come up for questioning or comments… although it does bother me that my family identifies me as bisexual (I identify as queer or simply just a sexual being…), it’s kinda hard to translate what it means to identify as anything other than gay, lesbian, or bisexual in the Latino community, I am glad that I’ve been able tofeel fully present in spaces with identities and all...

Weekly Round-Up: 10/23- 10/29

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:59:00 -0500

Abortion and access to modern effective contraception should be a fundamental right. There is no better alternative to support (poor) people in taking responsibility for their reproductive health.

We’re Still Blaming The Victim?- by Media_Justice

Inside this post:

It troubles me because we still are in a society where people are UNCLEAR about what consent includes, what it means to obtain consent from someone, and what it means to violate someone and not obtain consent. I find it troubling that adults are blaming this young woman for experiencing bullying, threats, isolation because of her choice to perform oral sex.

Standing Up for The Rights of Young Women to Access Abortion- by ashthom

Inside this post:

Ashley writes about parental consent laws, which restrict minors’ access to abortion services.

Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!

~ Samantha
Community Editor

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My post this week: Book Burning and Sex Education

A Turning Tide in Texas

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:45:00 -0500

There is a turning tide in Texas and it’s in the direction of comprehensive sex ed according to The Texas Tribune, a leading news source covering state politics.
Of course, this significant improvement in sex ed policies across the state didn’t happen by accident. These changes are the product of a concerted effort by the Texas Freedom Network, Advocates for Youth and many other dedicated groups and individuals.

Folks like Susan Tortolero, the director of the University of Texas' Prevention Research Center in Houston, have even created comprehensive sex ed curriculum that is being adopted and implemented in some of the most unlikely of places. Better sex ed is beginning to be found in the suburbs of Houston and as far west as Midland, a typically conservative area. According to Tortolero:

“It’s like we’re beyond this argument of abstinence, abstinence plus. Districts want something that works.”

While many people still believe that talking about contraception gives children permission to have sex, or even encourages them to do so, Tortolero says research shows that teaching them about condoms and birth control actually delays sexual initiation.

“The more you know about your body, how to make better decisions and choices, the better decisions that adolescents make,” she said, adding, “The more we demystify it, the more we talk about it, the better.”

The Texas Freedom Network’s School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) initiative has been a significant part of this growing success. TFN is working with local activists across the state who serve on SHACs to advocate for comprehensive sex ed at the district level. As a result, sex education has been dramatically improved for 250,000 public school students in Texas. A number of our Texas CAMI youth participants are also serving on their SHACs and making a difference in places like Brownsville, Houston, Austin and El Paso.

Even the editorial board of The Houston Chronicle has caught on to this recent success to reform sex ed policy in Texas and recommends that the state continue to move in this direction.

There remain obstacles at the statewide level, despite this grassroots success. The Dallas Observer reports that Texas has declined to apply for Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funding for the second year in a row. With the 3rd highest rate of teen births, and the 2nd highest percentage of repeat teen births, Texas sorely needs this federal funding for evidence-based programs.

Our expanded network of Texas Freedom Network Student Chapters, led by our CAMI youth members, has been an integral part of this movement for comprehensive sex ed. Some of the things they have accomplished so far include:

•Getting hundreds of Education Works petition signatures at petitions drives
•Hosting "Let’s Talk About Sex" film screenings on their campuses
•Tabling at various health fairs to grow membership and raise awareness
• Successfully lobbying Student Government Association at the University of Houston to pass a resolution in support of equal domestic partner benefits for faculty and staff
• Presenting as the only youth presenter on engaging young people in sex ed advocacy at the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy 2nd Annual Conference

And they have much more planned for the rest of the semester! I’ll update you again on the progress happening in Texas near the end of the year.

BCSSH Sex Files #1: Intro

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:50:00 -0500

Boston College Students for Sexual Health is an unofficial student organization that was formed in response to the lack of sexual health education and resources at Boston College. Among other activities, we blog regularly on Her Campus BC in an effort to reach out to the student body and get them thinking about sex-related issues. This particular entry provides a brief overview of BCSSH, spreads awareness about the barriers sexually active college students can face when trying to be safe, and tackles some common sex myths. Please note that this blog entry was originally posted on Her Campus BC.

Welcome to the Sexual Health blog, run by BCSSH! So what can you expect from us? Well, most obviously, you’re going to find vital sexual health information that you can’t get anywhere else at BC. This includes where you can find condoms, lube, and other prophylactics – female condoms, dental dams, etc. – on campus (at our Safe Sites—knock on any door marked with the BCSSH logo!), and where you can go for STI testing, counseling, and other services.

But most importantly, we will be honest and we don’t judge. We’re a weird, wacky group of people held together by our terrible senses of humor and our conviction that when young people are informed about how their sexual decisions affect their health, both physical and emotional, they will make better decisions, be safer, and show greater respect towards their peers, their partners, and themselves.

We will try to be funny, but most of the time we’re the only ones who laugh at our jokes. We like the word lube, and we use it a lot, sometimes where it doesn’t need to be lubed. Like that. Lube. We also love myth busting, so expect lots of awesome (and sometimes scary) facts. For example:

MYTH: I don’t know anyone with an STI, and I don’t need to protect myself or discuss it with my partner(s).
FACT: According to the CDC, 1 in 4 college-age people in the United States has an STI. There are approximately 9,000 undergrads at Boston College. Talk to your partner, and if you think you could be infected, get tested right away.

MYTH: BC Students for Sexual Health is made up of kids who got arrested for handing out condoms on campus.
FACT: BC Students for Sexual Health is made up of kids who almost got arrested for handing out condoms on campus.

BC is, for all intents and purposes, a sexual health desert. Most other American universities provide condoms in vending machines, bathrooms, and through RAs in dorms (or on campus through student groups, like at Georgetown, a fellow Jesuit university). But at BC, it is against university policy to hand out condoms on campus (hence our occasional run-ins with the long arm of the law, though the sidewalk on CoRo where we set up on Fridays belongs to the city of Newton, and is therefore outside of BC’s jurisdiction).

We have worked to repair the lack of safer sex resources, and there’s much more to us than condoms. We run programs throughout the year including Sex Toy Bingo (sexual health trivia! games! vibrators!) and conversations about sexuality and relationships. We also work closely with administrators to improve the well being of students on campus. We’ve always known it wouldn’t be easy to enact policy change regarding sexual health at BC. The Catholic Church hasn’t been around for over 2,000 years by changing easily. But over the past couple of years we have built an environment of mutual respect with several members of the administration, laying the groundwork for future progress.

Check soon for a new post!

Peace, love and lube,
BC Students for Sexual Health

Book Burning and Sex Education

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:11:00 -0500

I watched a movie last night called “Christopher and His Kind,” a film based on the book by Christopher Isherwood about his time in Berlin, Germany in the 1930s. Before the Nazis came to power, Berlin was actually a pretty liberal place. In his time there, Isherwood was able to explore and express his sexuality in a relatively free manner. He lived in a boarding house and, while each of the tenants knew he was gay, no one treated him any differently.

I was interesting, and a little chilling, though, as the film moved further into the decade to witness the ever increasing rise of oppression as the Nazis gained prominence. The film showed this in sometimes subtle yet always powerful ways- Berlin was changing, and as it did you could feel the new sense of danger that Isherwood and the other characters faced.

One scene that was particularly striking for me was the book burning. It reached me on so many levels. I love to read- I read fiction and non-fiction in a variety of genres and I hate to think that any of the books I’ve read may have been deemed dangerous. I love to read because it’s an opportunity for me to learn, whether from intellectual curiosity or by experiencing the world from another point of view. Limiting horizons is always dangerous, and not allowing people the full scope of literature limits that person’s ability to understand the variety of human experience. Having access to books was especially important during the setting of the film because this was before television and decades before the internet could be used as a source of information.

It was also difficult to watch the book burning because you were experiencing it through the eyes of a writer. Not only that, but you could feel the fear that the burning represented. Berlin was no longer an open-minded place where Isherwood and his boyfriend were free to go about their lives. As the fire burned the books, it also tore away the sense that anything was going to remain the same.

But third, and more generally, the book burning made me think about how we value knowledge and why we sometimes set up parameters to the access of it. I see this most clearly in our country’s approach to sex education. Abstinence-only programs, which, aside from being proved to not delay sexual experiences or to lower rates of STIs and unplanned pregnancy, have been roved to give misleading and inaccurate information, enforce dangerous gender stereotypes, and ignore the needs of LGB and gender-variant youth.

Why does this happen? Why has over $1 billion of federal funds (generated by tax payers) gone toward these at best inadequate and at worse harmful programs? Why is scientifically accurate information about sexual health viewed as dangerous knowledge for young people to have? Why is a curriculum that is inclusive of LGBT youth and youth with disabilities deemed inappropriate? Why are we afraid of the truth and why are we afraid to face the realities of teen sexuality and a young person’s interest and need to learn about their body and health ways to navigate sexual relationships?

Isn’t it better to give people the tools, resources, and support to make healthy decisions than to keep this knowledge from them or limit the information they are given in an attempt to make them act according to someone else’s moral code? Knowledge isn’t about morals. And shouldn’t a point of sexuality education be about making and following your own rules?

Today we realize that burning books is a bad thing. People still try to get them banned, but generally the larger population realizes how backwards, small-minded, and fearful such attempts are. Yet too many people in decision-making positions still insist that restricting knowledge on something as relevant as sexuality is the preferred way to go. Maybe if they read a few books about it they would start to feel differently.

~ Samantha
Community Editor

Weekly Round-Up: 10/9- 10/15

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:15:00 -0500

Each week, I’ll be posting a list of the most news-worthy and/or inspirational, informative, well-written, thought-provoking, and/or unique posts of the week. While every post and every contributor is valuable to our community, these are the blogs that I feel are must-reads.

October 9- October 15

Stats this week: 25 posts by 19 writers

New Healthcare Law and Young People: What You Need to Know- by AFY-Sarah

Inside this article:

Some important details on the Affordable Care Act that pertain particularly to women and young people, including how long you can stay on your parent’s insurance, whether you can be denied coverage based on a pre-existing condition, birth control co-pays, and the expansion of Medicaid.

Out of the Darkness, and Into The Light- by BoyPrincess32

Inside this post:

One activist finds their calling in social justice and the effort to bring an end to bullying and suicide- the number one killer of teens.

Legal Ramifications of Personhood- by ashthom

Inside this post:

What are the real consequences of state laws declaring that a fetus is a person? Where do such laws lead and what are the implications of forcing “one person to care for another because its rights are superior?”

Flashback To Revolutionary TV: The Golden Girls- by Media_Justice

Inside this post:

Some of the topics they discussed, and that I remember to this day, include: HIV, condom usage, dating, sexism, homophobia, single parenting, marriage, divorce, healthcare, aging, disability, race, and of course friendship.
They were, and still are, on the vanguard of television.

Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!

~ Samantha
Community Editor

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My post this week:
Obama, HRC,& the culture of change: Understanding the equality movement

Organizing in your area! Tips!

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:29:00 -0500

Here is a video I made of some tips on organizing in your area. Please give me feedback on how I can better reach my area as well! This is a process and we are all learning!

Perry's 16th Century Sex Ed

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:44:00 -0500

Garrett Mize is the Youth Advocacy Coordinator at the Texas Freedom Network and heads up the Texas Youth Leadership Council, the Texas portion of Advocates for Youth's Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has been sliding in the polls and his debate performances have hit a brick wall. It seems that after an initial flurry of excitement when he entered the race, primary voters are becoming increasingly disinterested with the “Texas miracle” governor. Just last night, Perry flubbed again when discussing basic facts about our country’s founding:

“Our Founding Fathers never meant for Washington, D.C. to be the fount of all wisdom. As a matter of fact they were very much afraid of that because they’d just had this experience with this far-away government that had centralized thought process and planning and what have you, and then it was actually the reason that we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown if you will.”

Not only is Perry off by a couple of hundred years when it comes to what century the American Revolutionary War took place but his sex ed policies are also incredibly outdated. His insistence on abstinence-only-until-marriage as the best approach for sex ed is beyond just being old-fashioned; it’s almost medieval!

Sex ed in the 21st-century should be medically-accurate, evidence-based, fully inclusive of LGBTQ youth and comprehensive. A true comprehensive sex ed program should also include information about abstinence as the only 100 percent effective method of birth control and STI prevention, but it should go further to include information about contraceptives and skills on having healthy relationships.

Despite the pleas of medical professionals, educators and public health leaders to shift toward comprehensive sex ed in Texas, Perry seems to prefer the sex ed policies of the 16th-century Puritans over 21st-century science.

HPV vaccine is safe, Bachmann is NOT

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:54:00 -0500

Michelle Bachmann at a recent debate suggested that the HPV vaccine is dangerous. I have seen the impact of misinformation on vaccines first hand from teaching community education programs on flu prevention and volunteering at vaccination clinics. At one clinic I met two grandparents that had brought in the grandson for the H1N1 vaccine. They explained to me that their daughter had taken her son from pediatrician to pediatrician until she found one that supported her belief that vaccines were unsafe. The grandparents were worried about the reaction of the mother when she learned they had taken her son for the flu vaccine, but they were also afraid after seeing many of his classmates get very sick, and even someone people in their community die from the flu.

While Bachmann’s comment might cause less families to get their children (yes, boys and girls can get the HPV vaccine) vaccinated, the amount of people currently getting the vaccine is relatively low compared to other vaccinations.

The HPV vaccine is different than vaccines against the flu or mumps, because HPV is spread through sex, making the vaccine more stigmatized in our sex-negative culture. We as a country are uncomfortable talking about sex, and even more uncomfortable talking about young people having sex. Therefore, when parents have to take their 9 or 10 year old daughter to the doctor to get the HPV vaccine, they are forced to realize their child is a sexual being and will someday have sex. This is a reality many parents do not want to face.

Also, some people believe that the HPV vaccine encourages sexual risk taking. This argument is also made against sexual health education. But these myths are ridiculous and dangerous. Vaccines and sexual health education do not “cause” young people to have sex -- instead by their very nature they decrease the risks of contracting disease!
All in all, I’m afraid that Bachmann’s statements will further decrease rates of already low rates of HPV vaccination.

Most people covering this story have noted that Bachmann’s HPV statement was misinformed and will negatively impact public health. What I don’t hear peopling saying is Bachmann herself is bad for public health. If she blatantly ignores medical science while a candidate, she will do the same as (God forbid) president. While her comments now will have a definite impact on public health, if elected she will have an even larger impact by implementing policies that are bad for the general public’s health and young people specifically.

Therefore, not only do reproductive justice activists need to further spread the message that the HPV vaccine is safe, but also point out that if Bachmann is elected, she will implement policies that put young people and our country’s public health in danger.

Things that Sucked in Ohio this Week

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:46:00 -0500

Here are your pieces of Ohio culture that made it just a little bit harder to be a women or LGBT in the Midwest. Not that it was that easy before. I don't know if this will be an ongoing series, but it might be if we keep sucking it up here in Ohio.

The Cleveland lingerie football league

Cleveland is being blessed with a team in the lingerie football league. This is where women play football, full tackle mind you, in nothing but their underwear, bra, and garter belt. There are so many problems with this.

First off, we have a women's football team in Cleveland, called the Fusion, which is part of the Women's Football Alliance. The purpose of this league is making the sport of football accessible for women. They even note the important of making the sport available to women of different income levels.

In comparison, the lingerie football league came from a half time show idea. The sole of that first game and now the league is to sexualize women. People, the more we treat women like objects, the more we will see violence against them. Many supporters argue that while the stick of women playing full tackle football in their bras and garters will draw fans in, they will stay for the athleticism of the game. Well, if for men's sports athleticism is that is needed, why isn't it the same for women?

Come one, someone has to have written this same argument around women's tennis, right?

Blatantly Homophobic Billboards in Toledo

Toledo's Central United Methodist Church to a strong stance to be inclusive by posting a billboard in Toledo this past April stating that "Being Gay is a Gift from God." I feel that is kind of a strange way to say you are inclusive, but whatever, it was bold and I liked it when I saw it in town. It was a nice change from the usually anti-LGBT anti-choice billboards you see from churches.

In response a mega-church in Maumee bought NINE billboards stating "Being gays i NOT a gift from god - forgiveness, love and eternal life are." The leader from this church stated the billboards are not homophobic, but did posted this message because "I love them too much to let someone believe a lie." In other words, the only way to show love is to create a culture of hate around a group of people?

Weekly Round-Up: 9/4-9/10

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:53:00 -0500

...Ms. Yang will receive a five-figure award on top of 5 months back pay and TSA agents will be receiving mandatory sensitivity training. With this comes the realization that Ms. Yang is a trailblazer who, through her hardship, was able to make life a bit easier for all those that come after...

Revisiting Abstinence In Media- by Media_Justice

Inside this post:

Pushing Daises is one of those rare shows that is not only entertaining with a strong, funny and intelligent script, but also mixes magical realism into the plot. One additional element to this show that I really adore is the representation of abstinence as well as the create ways characters find to express their love and attraction to one another.

Advocates’ Trina Scott on CNN!- by Amplify_Staff

Inside this post:

Watch Advocates for Youth’s Program Manager for the Young Women of Color Initiative, Trina Scott, talk on CNN about sexuality among young black women and men.

Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!

~ Samantha
Community Editor

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My post this week:
Yet Another Study Shows Fetal Pain is a Hoax